7 th ▁century . ▁It ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁ar isen ▁from ▁a ▁couple ▁of ▁mis con ception s , ▁both ▁contemporary ▁and ▁modern , ▁about ▁imm igration ▁to ▁French ▁colon ies ▁in ▁the ▁New ▁World . ▁The ▁first ▁of ▁these , ▁which ▁took ▁root ▁long ▁before ▁the ▁first ▁fille ▁du ▁roi ▁em igr ated , ▁was ▁that ▁Canada ▁was ▁a ▁pen al ▁col ony . ▁While ▁there ▁were ▁two ▁campaign s ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 6 th ▁century ▁that ▁involved ▁the ▁imm igration ▁of ▁French ▁crim inals ▁to ▁Canada ▁in ▁exchange ▁for ▁their ▁records ▁being ▁exp ung ed , ▁they ▁were ▁both ▁short - l ived . ▁These ▁programs ▁resulted ▁in ▁little ▁more ▁than ▁setting ▁a ▁preced ent ▁for ▁view ing ▁Canada ▁as ▁a ▁place ▁where ▁those ▁" of ▁question able ▁mor ality " ▁could ▁be ▁sent ▁for ▁one ▁reason ▁or ▁another . ▁ ▁The ▁popular isation ▁of ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁the ▁fill es ▁du ▁roi ▁in ▁particular ▁were ▁prost it utes ▁can ▁be ▁trac ed ▁to ▁an ▁account ▁by ▁the ▁Baron ▁de ▁L ah ont an ▁of ▁his ▁time ▁in ▁New ▁France ; ▁several ▁earlier ▁sources ▁made ▁the ▁same ▁assertion , ▁including ▁Saint - Am ant , ▁Tal lement ▁des ▁Ré aux , ▁and ▁Paul ▁Le Je une . ▁In ▁his ▁account , ▁L ah ont an ▁refers ▁to ▁the ▁fill es ▁du ▁roi ▁as ▁being ▁" of ▁m idd ling ▁virtue ", ▁and ▁wrote ▁that ▁they ▁had ▁em igr ated ▁in ▁the ▁hopes ▁of ▁religious ▁absol ution . ▁As ▁early