The northern colonies which had not joined the Revolution (Nova Scotia, the new colony of New Brunswick, and especially Canada) became a haven for refugees, United Empire Loyalists, from the American Revolution in 1783. This was the foundation on which English Canada was built.

In the decades that followed, immigration from Britain increased and the population grew accordingly. Thus, English Canada evolved, surrounding the old French colony and creating a linguistic divide which remains today.

The large colony of Canada was subdivided in 1791 creating two colonies: Upper Canada (today Ontario) and Lower Canada (today Quebec). Stresses and strains between the new English and old French colonists led Lord Durham to express the famous view of two nations warring in the bosom of a single state.