Quebec Founder Population - Its History

The current population of Quebec has descended from an estimated 2,600 founders who arrived from France 12-16 generations ago between 1608 (the founding of New France) and 1760 (the British conquest of New France). By 1760, 15,000 French had immigrated, but as many as 10,000 returned to France and half of the remainder moved westward.

French immigration essentially ceased after this time and intermarriage with English speaking groups has been minimal because of cultural, linguistic, religious and historical reasons. Early population expansion was rapid as founding couples had an average of 36 children and grandchildren. “Demographic genetic drift”, involving a major over-contribution of some highly prolific families over several early generations, provided increased genetic homogeneity. Emigration to the USA of over 1 million Quebecers between 1830 and 1930 left a population of only 1 million in 1930 and probably significantly reduced the number of family pedigrees.

Most of the present day French-Canadian population has descended by very rapid natural growth from the original settlers. Over the last 230 years, the Quebec population has grown by 80 times in a time span when the French population in France has grown by a factor of only 6. At 6 million today, the Quebec French-Canadian population represents the largest genetically homogeneous localized founder population worldwide. In addition, there are subpopulations of Quebec, such as the region of Saguenay Lac-St-Jean, that are even more genetically homogenous. This region was founded by about 600 people from the Charlevoix region of Quebec and has grown in relative isolation to a current population of 300,000.