The French presence in Manitoba .: SF31-134/7-2016E-PDF

"In 1731, explorer Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye and his sons were the first Europeans to reach the territory we now call Manitoba. For about a century and a half, the Métis—people of mixed First Nation and European ancestry—made up the majority of the population in this territory. Most were Francophone. When Manitoba entered the Canadian federation in 1870, its population comprised an almost equal number of Anglophones and Francophones. Guarantees were therefore included in the provincial constitution to preserve this linguistic duality. These guarantees protected the bilingualism of laws, courts and denominational schools. Between 1870 and 1890, with the arrival of many English-speaking Ontarians and immigrants from Eastern Europe, major demographic changes occurred in Manitoba, and Francophones became a minority group. In 1890, the provincial government abolished the official status of French in the legislative assembly and in the courts. The same year, it eliminated the funding that it provided to denominational schools and prohibited the teaching of French in public schools. In 1979, the Supreme Court of Canada restored the bilingualism of Manitoba’s laws and courts. In 1993, Franco-Manitobans regained control of their schools"--History, p. [1].

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