<P> Aboriginal peoples had been developing different kinds of settlements over thousands of years in Canada, but it was the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century which led to the establishment of the modern cities of Canada . Many of the new arrivals, both French and English, were from cities and brought with them the experience and knowledge of urban life . They used their knowledge and technology for city building, implementing techniques for the construction of permanent buildings, transportation and communication facilities, and the means of producing food for concentrated groups of people . </P> <P> Cities were slow to grow in the early period of European colonization in Canada . Those who arrived did so within a colonial and mercantile context that emphasised the exploitation of the colony for economic purposes at a minimum of imperial expense . With the colonial economies in Canada based to a great extent on the fur trade, cities remained mostly administrative centres for the colonies . It was also a period of conflict between England and France, rival colonial powers until 1763, and between Britain and the United States of America from that point until the mid-nineteenth century . This turmoil discouraged the development of cities . </P> <P> Eastern cities such as St. John's (1583), Quebec City (1608), Montreal (1642), Halifax (1749), Saint John (1785), and Sherbrooke (1793) were founded in these years . More to the west, Toronto was established in 1793 as York . Of these cities, Montreal would become the most prominent city in Canada up to the 20th century . Toronto grew at a quick pace, gaining its status as a city and present name in 1834 . </P> <P> Montreal--1642 </P>

Which canadian city was one of the earliest permanent settlements