Bigger white population in New France

What would've been the effects of a substantial white settler population in New France- as opposed to the small nos. of fur traders/COUREURS DE BOIS, Black Robe missionaries, HABITANT farmers & colonial officials or soldiers- during the period otf its existence til the FIW's conclusion in 1763 ?
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
It depends on how MUCH more. The main reason the French were driven out of the New World is because the British colonies had a population of three million, while the French had a population of less than 100,000. Doubling the population isn't likely to make much of a difference, but giving it a population closer to that of the British colonies will radically change the situation.
 
If Henry IV survives longer, that means Richelieu will not be able to come to power. Which in turn means that when New France is founded, it will not be closed to Protestant settlement AIOTL. So when the Huguenots emigrate at some point, they will go to Canada, giving it a much-needed population boost. If this happens early enough, the French might be able to keep pace with the English colonial population growth. Keeping the Hudson Bay / Rupert's land French and out of English hands will also lead to New France not expanding down the Mississippi (IIRC they only did so to find new routes once Fort Rupert was established ~1670), so the population can be concentrated along the Saint-Lawrence and Canada.

By the mid-eighteenth century, New France could have a population, if not quite as numerous as the thirteen colonies, at least a fraction thereof. In turn this might make France more eager to hang on to Canada.
 
Here's a thought: what if, for some reason, Maryland is not founded as a refuge for English Catholics? Catholics would not be welcomed in Virginia or Massachusetts in the 1620's, so maybe a small number of English Catholics could be granted refuge in New France. If that policy was established, small groups of English and Irish Catholic refugees would likely trickle in to New France over the 17th and 18th centuries.

That would increase the white population, but I don't know what kind of political problems it would create. I imagine there's probably a reason why the French didn't pursue this in OTL.
 
If Henry IV survives longer, that means Richelieu will not be able to come to power. Which in turn means that when New France is founded, it will not be closed to Protestant settlement AIOTL. So when the Huguenots emigrate at some point, they will go to Canada, giving it a much-needed population boost. If this happens early enough, the French might be able to keep pace with the English colonial population growth. Keeping the Hudson Bay / Rupert's land French and out of English hands will also lead to New France not expanding down the Mississippi (IIRC they only did so to find new routes once Fort Rupert was established ~1670), so the population can be concentrated along the Saint-Lawrence and Canada.

By the mid-eighteenth century, New France could have a population, if not quite as numerous as the thirteen colonies, at least a fraction thereof. In turn this might make France more eager to hang on to Canada.

Why? More fundamental issues are the New French Tax regime, the metropols strong hand and the antipathy of the fur traders and indians to large settlement. Just removing the ban on protestants won't make them want to go there when they can get away from persecution and taxes by going to England, Holland and British America - you need to change the Political and economic set up in New France to effect a population increase.

Also factoring in that unlike Britain, France had considerable room for further agricultural development in the homeland - why go to what was perceived as a freezing hell when there's still land to use in France?
 
Why? More fundamental issues are the New French Tax regime, the metropols strong hand and the antipathy of the fur traders and indians to large settlement. Just removing the ban on protestants won't make them want to go there when they can get away from persecution and taxes by going to England, Holland and British America - you need to change the Political and economic set up in New France to effect a population increase.
I guess what I meant to convey with my post is that without Richelieu, the foundation of New France will be completely different. You seem to know far more about the period in question than I do, I'll concede that much. But I had the thought that the entire colony could be founded under different premises, avoiding the problems you mention in your post.
 
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