The economy The resources of the Canadian Shield have helped Quebec develop important industries, including forestry, energy and mining. Quebec is Canada's main producer of pulp and paper and a major producer of minerals like asbestos, gold, copper, silver and iron ore. The province's huge supply of freshwater has allowed it to become Canada's largest producer of hydroelectricity. Dairy farms are common, and Quebec has the largest dairy farming industry in Canada. Quebec's many provincial parks, Laurentian mountains and historic sites play an important role in its tourism industry.
Workers produce fabric, clothing, food, paper, metal, and chemical and wood products.
About one-third of all Canadians live in Ontario. Although most people in Ontario speak English, the province also has the most French-speaking citizens of all the provinces except Quebec. The Algonquin and Iroquois First Nations were the earliest people to live in the province we now know as Ontario. By the late 1700s, the population began to grow rapidly. The arrival of thousands of United Empire Loyalists was followed by waves of other newcomers from the United States and Britain.