Canadian peers and baronets () exist in both the peerage of France recognized by the Monarch of Canada (the same as the Monarch of the United Kingdom) and the peerage of the United Kingdom.
In 1627, French Cardinal Richelieu introduced the seigneurial system of New France. Almost all of the early French Canadians who came as officers in the military or filled important official positions within the colony in New France came from the ranks of the French nobility. Under the Ancien Régime, several of these men were promoted to more senior ranks within the peerage of France. From the early 1700s, it became customary for the governors of New France to be given the title marquis. Except for the Marquis de Vaudreuil and the Marquis de Beauharnois, most were in Canada only for a few years before returning to France and are therefore not counted as Canadians.
The Baronetage of Nova Scotia (a British hereditary title, but not a peerage) had been devised by King James VI and I in 1624 as a means of settling Nova Scotia. Except for Sir Thomas Temple, almost none of them came to Nova Scotia, therefore they are counted as British, not Canadian.
Following the British Conquest of New France in 1763, the likes of The 1st Baron Amherst and The 1st Baron Dorchester were raised to the Peerage of Great Britain for their part in the taking of Canada and as Governors General of Canada, but they were not Canadians. As the colony grew under British rule both in terms of geography and economy, baronetcies began to be conferred upon various Canadian politicians, military commanders and businessmen.
In 1891, Lord Mount Stephen became the first Canadian to be elevated to the peerage of the United Kingdom. The significant losses of the First World War included many direct heirs to titles and some replacements were found in Canada, resulting in the acquisition of titles by Canadians.
After the controversial elevation of Lords Atholstan and Beaverbrook to the Peerage of the United Kingdom, the Nickle Resolution was presented to the House of Commons of Canada in 1917 requesting the Sovereign not to grant knighthoods, baronetcies or peerages to Canadians. This triggered the Canadian titles debate and led to a separate system of orders, decorations, and medals for Canada. Canadians who were granted peerages after that date had to hold or acquire British citizenship, such as The 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet. However, the 1946 Canadian Citizenship Act provided that Canadians who acquired another citizenship by any means other than marriage had renounced their Canadian citizenship. The 1977 Citizenship Act undid this provision.
Canadian nobility in the French aristocracy
Extant
Baron de Longueuil. Created in 1700 by King Louis XIV for Charles le Moyne de Longueuil, the Canadian born Governor of Trois-Rivières and afterwards Montreal. It is currently the only extant French colonial title as recognised by King Charles III. The 3rd Baron's only daughter became the 4th Baroness de Longueuil and married the nephew (Captain David Alexander Grant) of her step-father, William Grant, of Quebec. The 10th Baron's wife, Ernestine Bowes-Lyon, was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.Rachel Grant biography at: The present holder is Michael Grant, 12th Baron de Longueuil. originally published by the St Catherine Press Ltd, London, England from 1910–1959 in 13 volumes; reprinted in microprint, 13 volumes into 6
Unknown
Baron de Poboncoup. Created in 1651 or 1653 for Philippe Mius d'Entremont, the first of the d'Entremonts of Nova Scotia. The barony of Pobomcoup remained in the family until the expulsion of the Acadians that began in 1755 by the British. Comte de Saint-Laurent. Created in 1676, for Michel-François Berthelot, King's Secretary in Paris and Commissary General of the French Artillery. In 1702, he sold the Île d'Orléans to Charlotte-Françoise Juchereau de Saint-Denys (1660–1732), sister of Louis Juchereau de Saint-Denys. Another of their brothers was the grandfather of Louis Barbe Juchereau de Saint-Denys (1740–1833), created the Marquis de Saint-Denys in 1774; a first cousin of The Hon. Antoine Juchereau Duchesnay who was also a first cousin of the Marquis de Lotbinière mentioned below.Famille de Juchereau de Sany-Denys, Juchereau du Chesnay/Duchesnay From 1702, Charlotte-Françoise took the title Comtesse de Saint-Laurent and arranged for her eldest son to also bear the title, but she was unable to meet her obligations to Berthelot. A lengthy court case ensued between Quebec and Paris, and in 1713 the King ruled in Berthelot's favour. The title was however no longer used after 1913. Marquis de Vaudreuil. Created in 1703, for Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil, son of the Baron de Vaudreuil in the Languedoc. Formerly a colonel in the Musketeers of the Guard, in 1687 he came to New France in command of the Troupes de la Marine, rising to become Governor of Montreal in 1702 and the Governor General of New France the following year, serving until his death at Quebec City in 1725. His sons were: (1) Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Comte de Vaudreuil, father of Louis-Philippe, Marquis de Vaudreuil (2) Jean-Louis de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, Vicomte de Vaudreuil (3) Pierre de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, the first native Canadian (and last) Governor General of New France (4) François-Pierre de Rigaud Vaudreuil, the last French Governor of Trois-Rivières;Famille de Vaudreuil (5) Joseph-Hyacinthe de Rigaud, 3rd Marquis de Vaudreuil, father of Joseph Hyacinthe François de Paule de Rigaud, Comte de Vaudreuil. The title was however no longer used.
Extinct
Baron de Portneuf. Created in 1681, for René Robineau de Bécancourt. His son, Pierre Robineau de Portneuf, sold the land to his brother but retained the title. The brother died in 1715 and the barony passed back to Pierre's daughters. The title became extinct in 1729 after the death of the 2nd Baron de Portneuf, due to a lack of male heirs. Comte d'Orsainville. Created in 1685, for Jean Talon, the first Intendant of New France. He died unmarried in 1694, and the title passed to his nephew, Jean-François, son of his brother, Robert (aka François), and Anne Dubois, daughter of Antoine DuBois and Louise d'Eu, who was wed to Renée Turin, widow of a Michel Séguin, and who sold the land in 1696 to the bishop of Quebec, Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier.Wikisource: "Chapais - Jean Talon, Intendant of New France (1665-1672), 1904.djvu / 506" Baron de Beauville, Acadia. Created in 1707, for François de Beauharnois de la Chaussaye, a member of the House of Beauharnais who served as Intendant of New France. He was a brother of the Marquis de Beauharnois. The Baron de Beauville died without issue in 1746 and as such the title became extinct. Marquis de Beauharnois. Created in 1725, for Charles de Beauharnois de la Boische, Governor General of New France from 1725 to 1746. He was a brother of the previously mentioned Baron de Beauville. He died unmarried in 1749, when the title became extinct. Marquis de Lotbinière. Created in 1784, for Michel Chartier de Lotbinière, the only Canadian by birth to have been elevated to that rank in the Peerage of France, and the last such creation made by Louis XVI. After the British Conquest of New France in 1763, de Lotbinière had added to his existing seigneuries by purchasing Rigaud and Vaudreuil from his father's first cousin, the Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal.Les Seigneuries de Vaudreuil et de Soulanges He was the uncle of the Vicomte de Léry. He was a first cousin of Nicolas Renaud d'Avene des Meloizes (1729–1803) who sold their grandmother's Seigneury at Neuville and moved to France, where in 1769, he married the heiress Agathe-Louise de Fresnoy, and became the Marquis de Fresnoy. Another of his first cousins, The Hon. Antoine Juchereau Duchesnay, was also a first cousin of the previously mentioned Marquis de Saint-Denys. Lotbinière's son, Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière, inherited but did not use the title in order to keep political favour with the British. The de jure 2nd Marquis de Lotbinière was the father of three daughters, from whom descend the de Lotbinière-Harwood and Joly de Lotbinière families. But, as he left no male heir the title became extinct on his death at Montreal in 1822. Vicomte de Léry. Created in 1818, for Général François-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, grandson of Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, whose wife was a first cousin of the previously mentioned Marquis de Saint-Denys. He was born at Quebec City, a nephew of the Marquis de Lotbinière. He fought as a general during the Napoleonic Wars. He was Engineer-in-Chief of Napoleon's Armies and Commander-in-Chief of Napoleon's Armies in the Netherlands. On his death, his name was on the list of officers being considered to fill the position of Marshal of France.Notables of Annet-sur-Marne In 1811, he was created a Baron d'Empire.Napoleon's Generals In 1818, on the restoration of Louis XVIII, Chaussegros de Léry was created Vicomte de Léry and given the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. In 1801, he married Marie Cécile, daughter of Général François Christophe de Kellermann, 1st Duc de Valmy; Marshal of France. He retired to Château d'Etry at Annet-sur-Marne and is one of the 660 personalities whose names are engraved on the Arc de Triomphe at Paris. He was succeeded by his son, Gustave Chaussegros de Léry (1802–1850), who married a daughter of the Marquis de Somery, but died without children and as such the title became extinct.
Canadian nobility in the aristocracy of the United Kingdom
Peerages awarded before the Nickle Resolution
Extant
Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, of Mount Royal in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada and of Glencoe in the County of Argyll. Created in 1897 for Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal. He was one of the foremost builders and philanthropists in the British Empire. He was Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, president of the Bank of Montreal, co-founder of the Canadian Pacific Railway with his first cousin Lord Mount Stephen, and Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He built a home in the Golden Square Mile and Glencoe House. He leased Knebworth House and kept Colonsay House (still lived in by his descendants) as a summer home. By a new creation in 1900, his only daughter, Margaret Charlotte Smith, became the 2nd Baroness Strathcona and Mount Royal. The title is currently held by Donald Alexander Euan Howard. Baron Shaughnessy, of the City of Montreal in the Dominion of Canada and of Ashford in the County of Limerick. Created in 1916 for Thomas Shaughnessy, 1st Baron Shaughnessy. A native of the United States, he came to Montreal in 1882 where he became the 3rd president of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1899 until his death in 1923. On the outbreak of World War I he threw his and the C.P.R.'s full support behind the war effort, for which he was awarded his peerage. He lived in the Golden Square Mile. The title is currently held by his great-grandson, the actor Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy.