What were the characteristics of the first phase of industrialization in Quebec between 1867 and 1896?

The first phase of industrialization had the following characteristics:

Investment Capital

  • Most of the capital invested came from Great Britain and from the English business community in Montreal.

Montreal Shoe Trade (McCord Museum)		 Types of Industries
  • The key industries consisted of food processing (butter and cheese factories, sugar refineries, flour mills), shoes and clothing, leather and textiles, tobacco, transportation equipment (railways) and wood.
Regions Industrialized
  • The Montreal region was the most industrialized however textile plants were also located in Valleyfield and the Eastern Townships (Magog), tobacco was cultivated in Joliette and timber in the Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean region.
Energy Source
  • Water power and coal were the main sources of energy used to drive the machinery.
Labour
  • There was a need for cheap, unskilled labour. Women and children entered the labour force.

The Industrial Workforce 1871 and 1891
 
The Year 1871   # of Men   # of Women  # of Children  Total 
Quebec Cities  17968   7786  3701  29455 
Rest of Quebec  31513  1802  2 796  36111 
Quebec Total  49481  9588  6497  65566 
Ontario Cities 14357  4020 2101  20478
Rest of Ontario  55872 5864  5035 66771
OntarioTotal  70229  9884 7136 87249
The Year 1891 
QuebecCities  30838  13050 3099 46987 
Rest of Quebec  54188   9848  6456  7049
QuebecTotal 85026 22898 9555 117479
Ontario Cities  32545  13196  2644  48385 
Rest of Ontario  90592 19639 7700 117931
OntarioTotal  123137  32835  10344 166316

Try the following questions on the first phase of industrialization in Quebec.