The Jesuits, also known as "Blackrobes", first arrived in Canada in 1611. The first Jesuits were French missionaries, Pierre Biard and Ennemond Massé, who landed at Port Royal in Nova Scotia.
Timeline of Jesuit activity in Canada
1611: Pierre Biard and Ennemond Massé arrive at Port Royal
1625: Jean de Brébeuf, Charles Lalemant, and Massé establish Jesuit headquarters in Quebec
1635: Paul Lejeune and Antoine Daniel open Collège des Jésuites in Quebec, which is now Laval University
1639–1650: Jesuits establish a mission at Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons
1642: St. René Goupil is martyred during tribal wars between the Hurons and Iroquois
1649: Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant are captured and martyred by the Iroquois
1842: The Jesuits return to Canada at the request of Bishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal
Jesuit missionaries tried to gain the trust of Indigenous peoples by learning their languages and customs. However, their efforts to convert Indigenous peoples to Christianity were initially unsuccessful.