Jean TALON
Biography

Jean Talon, the man that made it possible for the surge in the population of New France. He was born on January 8, 1626, in Châlons, France and died on November 23, 1694 in Paris. After the control of the colony by the companies, the demographic situation of New France was rather disappointing in the eyes of the king, Louis XIV. In 1663, the population of the colony was only 3000 people. The King of France then appointed Jean Talon as the first intendant of New France and gave him the mandate to increase the population and diversify the economy of the colony. In 1665, the Carignan-Salières regiment arrived in New France. The experienced soldiers who form it are present in the colony to defend against the threat from the Iroquois nations. In 1667, after the signing of a peace agreement with the Iroquois, the soldiers of the Carignan-Salières regiment were free to return to France. The king took advantage of this situation to suggest that they settle in the colony. To make himself convincing, he offers land to soldiers and seigneuries to senior officers. The impact will be positive: nearly 400 of them decide to stay there. To remedy the problem of the lack of women, Louis XIV sent the King's Daughters to the colony. These orphans, mostly between the ages of 15 and 25, are paid to travel to New France to marry the men present. The objective is to increase the population by increasing the number of births. From 1663 to 1673, nearly 800 young girls arrived in New France to get married. Jean Talon wants to increase the number of births in the colony. He will therefore introduce several policies to encourage residents to marry and conceive children. Cash bonuses are given to families with 10 or more living children. Fines are given to fathers whose son 21 and over or daughter 17 and over is unmarried. Single men lose their trading, fishing or hunting license if they refuse to marry. The king gives an amount of money to men aged 20 and under and women aged 16 and under on their wedding day. The results of these policies quickly have positive impacts on the population, largely because the number of births will increase considerably in the years that follow. From 1666 (date of the Talon census) to 1713, the population rose from 3,215 to 18,119 people.

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