Most of Canada was wilderness before the Europeans arrived. Perhaps 100,000 indigenous peoples across the whole of what is now Canada lived largely nomadic lives leaving very little trace of their existence on the landscape. The first towns, cities, schools and hospitals were built by Europeans 400+ years ago. The French , arriving first in small numbers were less intrusive in how they settled, by choosing areas where natives were not living or had abandoned. The French also formed military alliances with many tribes. When the British arrived they had to fight the French AND the local native tribes. They also deported thousands of French speaking people in Nova Scotia ( Acadia) when they arrived for refusing to swear allegiance to the British King. This was how things were done in the 1700's. The French were just as brutal in Europe to those they defeated.The Natives were equally brutal to those they defeated.