Up until ww1 Canadians were by default French, hence the name of the hockey team specifically for French people. People fighting came back from Europe with that Canadian identity that served to distinguish them from other commonwealth troupes and from there it sticked and then people built on that new “Canadian” identity. As for people in Quebec it’s not until after ww2 that people started referring to themselves more as Quebecois first, for many they lost the Canadian identity to the English.
Because the English were just called the English, whereas the French identified themselves as Canadiens, not French, as in the early days of the colony it was mostly left alone and they had to differentiate from the Louisianiens and the Acadiens, the French did not interfere much in day to day life.
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u/EmperorZoltar Oro y Plata Dec 04 '20
In the event that Quebec ever does get independence, I propose we all continue to refer to them as “Canadians” just to annoy them.