As reported in the Canadian Encyclopedia, Starting in the early 16thh century, it was the rich supply of cod fish, which attracted fisherman to the areas off the coast of Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. But the development of the country resulted from the nearly 250 years, from the early 17th to the mid-19th century, of the fur trade, which was a vast commercial enterprise across Canada. Competition for beaver pelts opened Canada to exploration and settlement, it finances missionary work, established social, economic and colonial relationships between European and indigenous peoples.
According to the Canadian Wildlife Federation, preserving the freshwater of the Great lakes, which contain 20% of the worlds supply of fresh water, is a major goal. It provides about 25 % of Canadians and 10% of North Americans, 33 million people directly with their drinking water.
Cultural Mosaic, as defined by the Oxford reference, was coined from John Murray Gibbon's 1938 book. It differs from the USA's Melting Pot approach to Immigrant assimilation, in that, it encourages each individual cultural group to retain its distinct identity, and language, while still contributing to the nation as a whole. It has become a part of Canadian multiculturalism policy in the 1970's.
According to Statistics Canada, the largest number of First Nation people lived in Ontario, and the western provinces, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the British Territories.
According to the World Atlas, Quebec is the only province where the majority of the population speaks French. About 7 million Canadians speak French, though since 1969 English is of equal status.
According to the website, www.firstpeopleofcanada.com, The Inuit, being nomadic people, in the summer, built shelter tents, out of driftwood or poles covered with caribou or sealskin, with a ring of boulders around the base to hold down the tent skin coverings.
