when did the french immigrants come to canada
French Canadians French Canadians (also referred to as Franco-Canadians or Canadiens; French: Canadien(ne)s franÃ§ais(es)) are an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to French colonists who settled in Canada from the 17th century onward. Today, French Canadians constitute the main French-speaking population in Canada, accounting for about 22 per cent of the country's total population. The majority of French Canadians reside in Quebec, where they constitute the majority of the province's population, although French Canadian and francophone minority communities exist in all other Canadian provinces and territories as well.[2]