A few acres of snow

"A few acres of snow" (in the original French, "quelques arpents de neige", French pronunciation: ​[kɛlkə.z‿aʁpɑ̃dəˈnɛːʒ], with "vers le Canada") is one of several quotations from Voltaire, the 18th-century writer, which are representative of his sneering evaluation of Canada as lacking economic value and strategic importance to 18th-century France.

In Voltaire's time, Canada was the name of a territory of New France which covered most of modern-day southern Quebec. However, "Canada", was also commonly used as a generic term to cover all of New France, including the whole of the Louisiana territory, as well as modern-day southern Ontario, Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Which meaning of "Canada" Voltaire intended is a matter of some dispute.

The exact phrase "quelques arpents de neige" first appears in 1758 in chapter 23 of Voltaire's book Candide, although the phrase "a few acres of ice" appeared in a letter he wrote in 1757. Voltaire wrote similar sarcastic remarks in other works.

In Voltaire's day, New France included Canada, Acadia, Louisiana, and other territories. All parts of the colonies were the object of Voltaire's sarcastic comments at one point or another.

Through all his writings on the subject, Voltaire's basic idea about France's Canadian colony always remained the same. It can be summarized as comprising an economic premise and a strategic premise, both of which concur to a practical conclusion, as follows:

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