Photo by Léo Newman

The Francophone community of British Columbia is often lost as an “invisible” minority amongst the diversity of the province, but its rich roots continue to grow a vibrant community.

The number of Francophones in the city surprised Camille Preville, who moved to Vancouver from Tour, France three years ago.

“On the west coast [of Canada] is Vancouver, it’s more attractive, and I think it’s more famous, and the Rocky Mountains and Vancouver Island [are near by],” she says.

The community is growing every year, in part thanks to the facility of obtaining work visas for French citizens, but the sense of adventure embedded in the rugged west coast plays a factor, too.

That same sense of adventure is likely what captivated Francophone explorers to play a major part in the settlement of B.C., a history often forgotten or poorly understood. While many know Alexander Mackenzie as the pioneering explorer who famously marked the rock in Bella Coola in 1793, fewer know that six or more French-Canadians accompanied him. Simon Fraser, another pioneering Anglophone explorer and settler, was accompanied by more than 20 French-Canadians for his westward journey to B.C. in the early 1800s.

“Francophones were here from almost day one,” says Réal Roy, president of the Francophone Federation of British Columbia. This strong presence of French-Canadians continued until the gold rush of the 19th century when a large influx of other settlers forced Francophones into the minority.

The arrival of families from Québec in 1909 helped establish Francophone communities, such as Maillardville, a neighbourhood in Coquitlam; the B.C. provincial government refused to incorporate it as a village. They also refused to pay for French schools.

“We tend to forget in B.C. that there is a strong history of French and sometimes French doesn’t seem to be terribly visible,” says Roy. Signs of the heritage are visible if you look though, such as St. Paul’s Hospital, and the names of mountains and streets, adds Roy.

Photo courtesy of la Société francophone de Victoria

A growing number of Francophones celebrate le Festival de la francophonie in Victoria, B.C., every year – Photo courtesy of la Société francophone de Victoria

Perhaps more pressing than the history is the fact that the Francophone community of B.C. is continuing to grow and thrive today. Between 2006 and 2011, the community grew by 12 per cent to a total of 70,000, according to Roy.

“What is more important is that you have 300,000 people speaking French, which makes French the second-most spoken language in B.C. after English,” says Roy.

The number of people who are able to speak French, whether as a second or third language, is likely to continue to climb due to high levels of enrolment in French immersion. “[In Victoria] one-third of children going to school are in French immersion, approximately 15,000,” says Christian Francey, Executive Director for the Victoria Francophone Society.

Francey and Roy both emphasize that the Francophone community in B.C. is increasingly diverse, mirroring Canada as a whole. This includes people of various backgrounds beyond the familiar French and Québecois, such as those from Switzerland, Senegal, Algeria, or Lebanon.

“This Francophone community in B.C. is not only growing but also changing and taking the same kind of colour or differences that we see in the overall Canadian population. Which I think is a very positive thing,” says Roy.

Despite a history of somewhat tumultuous Anglophone-Francophone relations in B.C., the population appears to be warming up to the idea of French, as the numbers suggest. Unfortunately, it’s a different story with the provincial government, according to Francey.

“Still with the government it’s not easy,” says Francey. “I know that in different ministries for income assistance or [others ones] we have a lot of people that are refused service in French because no one is speaking French there.”

The two central challenges facing the province’s Francophone community today are access and funding. Accessibility to services and government information in French is not only essential for the slightly older Francophone population who are more likely to have less English-French fluency, it’s also a matter of respect, says Roy. “We need to have a space where French is the language that we use, that I read or can use to access information of the provincial government.”

As for funding, “no money no candy as we say,” says Francey, before explaining that funding is needed for much more than candy, it’s needed for survival. “We are living off grants from Heritage Canada. It is always a challenge to make sure we have enough money for activities.”

In the face of these challenges, and realizing the fragility of the situation, the optimism for the future of the Francophone community in B.C. is unmistakable. Roy sees growth, an increased willingness to speak French, and sincerely hopes that the 44,000 students enrolled in French immersion across the province will fully participate in the community.

“But in order to have a lively French community, you need to have places, spaces, and activities where French is being used normally,” says Roy. “What is part of our identity as Canadian is French and English.”