The Similarities Between New France And Modern-Day Canada

Nearly 300-400 years have passed by since King Louis the XIV of France ruled over New France. During this long span of time our lifestyle has changed a lot, but there are also some things that have remained the same. Religion, education, and government are three of the many topics that help us distinguish between the French Colony and modern-day Canada. Yet, these subjects help us recognize the similarities between the two societies as well. For instance, one third of the Canadian population is Catholic (as of 2006), compared to New France, where everyone practised Catholicism. This 66% decrease may seem like a lot at first glance, but since it has happened over a very long period of time it is not very much.

Firstly, both New France and

Canada have a very large Catholic population. A third of the population are Catholic (as of 2006) as mentioned above.

This is quite a lot, considering the fact that Canada is a multicultural country. Likewise, all the settlers were Catholic in New France. Additionally, churches play a religious role during both time periods. Even though the Roman Catholic Church played a large role in education, healthcare, and government as well as religion; its religious role was prominent. Lastly, in both eras churches do missionary work. Back in New France the religious conversions were more forceful. The nuns and priests tried to convert the Native Peoples from their original religion to Catholicism. Nowadays, missionary work is optional and more about persuading than force. Although some things have stayed the same, many things have changed about religion since the 1600-1700s. In New France everyone practised Roman Catholicism, as Cardinal Richelieu and the King of

France had passed a law that only Roman Catholics could travel and move to the Royal Colony of New France. However, Canada has become a multicultural country. These days there are Synagogues, Mosques, and Temples as well as churches. Moreover, modern-day priests and nuns mostly do religious work, such as, conducting weddings and funerals, baptizing babies, etc. Lastly, much of the residents’ social life was based on the Roman Catholic Church. The priests and nuns did not only take care of the sick and needy, but also had a religious and educational role in the society. Even though, education was good back then especially for girls compared to other European countries, the education system is very different nowadays.
To begin with, the Roman Catholic church was the only source of education in the 1600s-1700s. Nuns taught the girls and priests taught the boys, but in Canada the education system is a provincial responsibility. Besides, education was not equal for both genders in New France. Currently, the lack of education for girls is a big problem in many third world countries. Yet in New France, the boys were the ones not getting a very good education. Unless boys chose to become a priest, their education was minimal, and they often stayed illiterate. This is, because they were needed on the farm, and knowing how to read and write were not necessities when working as a farmer. The lack of priests in the Royal Colony was also a leading cause of this problem. On the other hand, the girls enjoyed a much better education thanks to the nuns. For example, the Ursuline Nuns established a school in Montreal for girls, and then one in Quebec. On the other hand, we have an equal chance to get a good education regardless of our gender in Canada. In New France, three subjects were taught: reading and writing in French and Latin, and arithmetic. However, in Canada we have a much larger variety of subjects, and the arts are taken much more seriously. Furthermore, there are many more levels of schooling nowadays. We have pre-school, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary. On the contrary, in the 17th and 18th centuries, education was much shorter and much simpler. In present-day Canada school is mandatory until the student is between 16 to 18 years old depending on the province. That said, in New France you were not required to go to school unless you were planning on becoming a priest or nun. Despite all of these differences, education in Canada and New France have some things in common. Firstly, both girls and boys get an education in both societies. Although the quality of the education is quite different, both genders get some education in both time periods. Also, students in both Canada and New France can get homeschooled. Even though it was not necessarily called “being homeschooled” in New France, many school-age children learned the little French they knew from their parents and older siblings. In modern-day Canada students can get homeschooled as well. Lastly, during both areas the same basic subjects are taught: math, and reading and writing in French. However, Latin is not taught in Canadian schools. Even though the nuns played a very big role in the education system back in the 1600s-1700s, the government was run by men only.
Firstly, the government was run by men only as mentioned above. Women played absolutely no role in the government in New France. On the contrary, in Canada women play a big role in the government. For example, 50% of the current ministry (cabinet) members are women in Canada. Furthermore, New France was a Royal Colony run by the absolute monarch of France, King Louis XIV. An absolute monarch has the power to make all the decisions for the country/colony and does not have to follow any constitutions or by a parliament. In this monarchy majority rules does not exist. Instead, minority and one-person rule. The monarch has the power to choose the government officials who help him/her make decisions, but he/she does not have to listen to their suggestions. Unlike New France, Canada uses the democratic system. This system uses elections to choose its officials, and majority rules in this system of government. Moreover, the levels of government are very different in the two societies. In modern-day Canada, there are three levels of government: federal, provincial, and municipal. They are run by the Prime Minister, Premier, and Mayor. This is while the main source of power in the
New France government was the Sovereign Council, which consisted of the Bishop (François de Laval), The Intendant (Jean Talon), and the Governor General (Comte de Frontenac.) These three officials lived in New France, and reported to the King and his advisors who were back at France.

They told him how things were going or if they needed support. Moreover, the Sovereign Council could elect other officials such as five councilors, a clerk, and an attorney general if deemed necessary. Lastly, the Roman Catholic Church played a very big role in the government. For example, they registered births and deaths, relayed government announcements, etc. On the other hand, in Canada these are done by the different branches of the government. While there are many differences between the government in New France and Canada, there are some resemblances between the two as well. To start with, both governments have important official(s) who make the make the major decisions. In New France, the Monarch made these choices. In Canada, the Prime Minister does. Additionally, both systems have a Governor General. Even though, they play different roles, they do

exist.