Francophone Perspectives

Look back on the crucial stages of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham: context, preparation, siege of Quebec City and encounter.

This online exhibit shares the community memories, through images, documents and text, of a childhood in a small Manitoba francophone community.

This timeline of the Acadians spans 400 years, starting in the early 1600's. Learn how Acadians have worked to maintain their unique language and culture.

A brief article that describes the political hot potato that was the Manitoba Schools Question in the late 1800s.

An article that discusses French-English relations in Canada from 1830 to the 1995 referendum and its aftermath.

The struggle over the rights of Francophones in Manitoba to receive an education in their mother tongue and their religion is regarded as one of the most important “school crises” in Canadian history, with major short-term and long-term consequences.

This guide is an introduction to the Official Languages Act and the history of language policy in Canada. You can learn about the history that led to the Act, and its subsequent legacy.

Learn what led to two French rebellions against Upper Canada in the time before Confederation.

This biographical article describes the life of Samuel de Champlain, a cartographer and explorer, who helped establish the colony of Lower Canada.

An overview of the life, accomplishments, and possible motivations of Samuel de Champlain.

A short history of the Acadians, descendants of early French settlers, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1604 and built a distinct culture and society over generations.

Two politicians from Upper and Lower Canada work together to help shape democratic reforms for all of Canada (1841).

Lost in translation? The explorer's first meeting with Iroquoian peoples provides one story of how Canada got its name (1534).

This video from the McCord Museum explores the century following the 1755 expulsion of the Acadians as they relocated through Eastern Canada.

This video from the McCord Museum explains how Acadians became more involved in politics and demanded their rights to property, language and religion.

A teaching resource that looks at the effects of assimilative policies on French language and culture in Canada.

This brief video discusses Samuel de Champlain's role as an early colonizer of Canada.

This site has information about everyday life in New France. The site includes New France ABC (with historical artifacts that show how they lived), as well as information about the "filles du roi," First Nations peoples in New France, and pictures of Quebec.