French language rights

Following the British conquest of New France, there arose the issue of linguistic cohabitation; the language rights of francophones, who were then in the majority, were still largely unthreatened, although the Treaty of Paris in 1763 offered no guarantees in that respect. Nevertheless, the arrival of huge numbers of anglophone immigrants had the effect of reversing the demographic weight of both ethnolinguistic groups. In 1840 the passing of the Act of Union endorsed a policy of assimilating French Canadians and turning them into a minority which, after confederation, was followed by a policy of non-intervention by the federal government and made way for curtailment of their rights. Anglophone immigrants continually demanded that the act be repealed; at the turn of the 20th century, francophone language rights and the privileges granted to Roman Catholic schools had been abolished in several provinces – especially in the west. Growing conflicts between English and French Canadians prompted the latter to come together to defend their rights. In Quebec the lower economic and social position of French Canadians, who were nevertheless greater in number, led to the emergence of nationalism and political parties. In 1969 Canada passed the Official Languages Act, making French and English the official languages of the country, whereas in 1977 Quebec passed Bill 101, which required the predominance of French in several domains. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada.