How did the early settlement of Canada lead to a diverse society?

Answer 1

The earliest European settlement left no such traces. Later settlements came mainly from just two empires, French and English.

Not very diverse but there were a lot of French and fewer ruling English. That meant there would be no melting pot as in other countries because these two cultures do not mix well. Usually they expel or demand loyalty from the people left behind. The French would also demand language domination when they ruled, a pattern that dates back to 1066, a very deep history.

So the English made allowances and granted many rights, including language and religion and eventually a major political role to the French in Canada. This helped future people from different cultures because it meant Canada was not a mono-culture as most other colonies would be.

That was in Eastern Canada. There diversity was more limited than in Western Canada, even today immigrants to Quebec face restrictions and government attempts to force integration.

When Canada purchased Rupert's Land it came with people. Rebellions broke out and there was considerable resistance to Canadian colonization.

Canada's plan to turn their new purchase into a Grain producing region for Canada was threatened by the locals. A para-Military force was created and a railway built to quickly transport troops but there were still problems.

The problem with the locals, and lack of grain production was to be addressed by massive Immigration. Canada created the Dominion Lands Act hoping for a wave of immigrants. That didn't happen right away. Most of the early immigrants were from Ontario but even they started to complain of Canadian treatment and by 1890 there were fewer Canadian immigrants. Ontario only had so many to give.

Canada, faced with fewer Canadians migrating west decided that more immigration was needed. Both to address complaining locals (now including Canadians that moved west) and to have the purchase become profitable by sending more Grain east. They began an aggressive advertising campaign, not just in Britain but through out Europe, even the world.

This opened Canada, first to Europeans, and then the world. Many cultures came to take advantage of cheap land. All had to come through Eastern Canada and many stayed there, in some cases to raise money (settling wasn't free) in other cases to live in populated areas. Since Canada was split between English and French it was easier for new Canadians to keep their culture and most did, particularly in Western Canada were the new cultures would be the majority in their area.

The Canadian need to fill Rupert's Land lead to Canada opening their country to the world and the world came.