<P> From 1535 to the 1690s , the French word Canadien had referred to the First Nations the French had encountered in the St. Lawrence River valley at Stadacona and Hochelaga . At the end of the 17th century , Canadien became an ethnonym distinguishing the inhabitants of Canada from those of France . After World War I , English - Canadians appropriated the term `` Canadian '' and French - Canadians identified as Québécois instead . </P>
<P> From 1535 to the 1690s , the French word Canadien had referred to the First Nations the French had encountered in the St. Lawrence River valley at Stadacona and Hochelaga . At the end of the 17th century , Canadien became an ethnonym distinguishing the inhabitants of Canada from those of France . After World War I , English - Canadians appropriated the term `` Canadian '' and French - Canadians identified as Québécois instead . </P>
when did the french first come to canada
when did the french first come to canada
1535
1535