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The Solitudes of English and French: A History of Separation and Unity

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, 50th Anniversary of the Official Languages Act Special Issue, 2019

By Robert J. Talbot

Relations between English- and French-speakers in Canada have, at different points in our history, been variously characterized by conflict, coexistence, and collaboration. Fortunately, today, relations are and have been peaceful for some time. But this was not always the case.

A Continent at War

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, North America was a continent at war. The two principal European powers jostling for control—France and Britain—went to war in North America no fewer than six times during that period. This often had devastating implications for the colonists themselves. For example, in 1696–1697 French forces expelled the majority of Newfoundland’s English-speaking population, and in 1755–1764, British forces expelled the majority of Acadia’s French-speaking population.

There were instances of coexistence, even collaboration, however, during this turbulent period. For example, some trade was maintained between British and French colonists and fishermen during peacetime. After the British took control over much of mainland Acadia, in 1713, French-speaking Acadians were initially tolerated and, to some extent, encouraged to remain as settlers in order to maintain a viable local economy.

Overall, the period was predominantly one of conflict, culminating in the Seven Years War (1754–1763) in which Britain ultimately gained control over what was, until then, New France.

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Robert J. Talbot is Manager of Research at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada.

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Robert J. Talbot
Robert J. Talbot
Robert J. Talbot is Manager of Research at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada.

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