i i AN AREAL ANALYSIS OF FRENCH-CANADIAN SETTLEMENT AND LINGUISTIC ASSIMILATION-IN THE PRAIRIE PROVINCES by MARK WISE B.A., University of Leicester, 1965 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Geography We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA September, 1969 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British ColumbiaI agree that the Library shall make it freely avai]able for reference and study, I further agree that permission-for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives„ It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of The University of British Columbia Vancouver 8, Canada ii ABSTRACT a) Basic Problem The main question posed in this research was as follows; where exactly, and in what types of locality have those of French ethnic origin living in the Prairie provinces been most (or least) successful in pre• serving a distinctive French-Canadian culture. b) Method of Investigation i) The production.of detailed population distribution maps.rshowed where, and to what extent, French-Canadians were areally concentrated into distinct group settlements. It is only in such group settle• ment that such a sub-culture can hope to survive. ii) The varying degree • of ethnic homogeneity within the various group settlements was analysed. This study oonfirmed that the more French Canadians were intermixed with other groups the more sus• ceptible they would be to anglicisation and assimilation. iii) 'The varying strength of the French-Canadian position was measured by calculating the proportion of French Canadians in each group settle• ment belonging to a French-language parish - an institution which has played a great role in the cultural survival of the French- speaking minorities. iv) The areally varying strength of French-language education in the Prairie provinces was studied. v) The areally varying degree of access to a French-language news• papers, radio and television was analysed; vi) Population increases and/or decreases among this ethnic group were studied. The extent of these increases and decreases, in both rural r iii and urban areas, affects the strength of this sub-culture. vii) A cartographic description^using the most detailed census data available, was made of those of French ethnic origin who have retained French as their mother-tongue. The retention of French among this group was taken as the key index of assimilation, not least because they have always fervently regarded such linguistic fidelity as the essential basis of their distinctive cultural survival. b) Conclusions i) Neither the province of Quebec, nor the French-Canadian people have ever shown great interest in settling western Canada. ii) A considerable and increasing proportion of French Canadians in the Prairie provinces has become completely assimilated into the English-speaking community. However, within the group settlements the degree to which French has been retained is often high. iii) By far the strongest French-speaking community is situated in south-eastern Manitoba where three large rural groups focus on the unique urban group of St. Boniface. The cultural survival of French-Canadian communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan is much more threatened, either by their cultural isolation from other French- speaking groups, or by the extent to which they have been inter• mixed with non-French-speaking groups. iv) The key socio-geographic factor in the linguistic assimilation of western French Canadians seems to be the degree to which they are physically intermixed with other groups. This factor emerged as iv much more' important than other considerations such as situation in an urban or rural area, or group settlement size. The western French Canadian sub-culture is an extremely "localised" phenomenon. Immediately beyond the "core" areas of the group settlements assimilation becomes very marked, even if a considerable number of French Canadians can still be found. Evidence of assimilation can be found even within the "cores" of some groups. The future survival of this sub-culture depends, among other things, on strengthening French Canadian institutions within the group settlements. This applies particularly to the need to develop genuinely bilingual schools. Also a new form of "group settlement" must be developed to maintain and stimulate French-Canadian institutions and culture among the increasing numbers of Franco• phones who have left their rural communities for the larger urban areas. V. Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction. p. 1 Chapter 2. The Movement of French Canadians into Western Canada. p. 5 Chapter 3. The Socio-Geographic Characteristics of French-Canadian Settlement on the Prairies. p. 21 Chapter 4' General Considerations Concerning the Settlement and Assimilation of French- Canadians in the Prairie Provinces. P- 45 Chapter 5' French-Canadian Group Settlement and Assimilation in Rural Manitoba. P. 63 Chapter 6. French-Canadian Group Settlement and Assimilation in Rural Alberta. p. 98 •Chapter 7' French-Canadian Group Settlement and Assimilation in Rural Saskatchewan p. 122 Chapter 8. French-Canadian Group Organisation and Assimilation in the Major Urban Areas of the Erairie Provinces. p. 142 Chapter 9« Conclusion. p. 160 Bibliography p. 171 Appendices pp. 173-174 vi List of Tables Table I Residents of Prairie Provinces Born in Quebec and Ontario, 1871-1931 - p. 11 Table II Numbers of Francophones on the Prairies Classified According to Birthplace, 1931 p« 11 Table III "Mixed-Marriages" Among Western French Canadians . p. 47 Table IV Numbers of Persons of French Ethnic Origin and of French Mother-Tongue in the Prairie Provinces in 1951 and 1961. p. 56 Table V Correlation Between "Mixed Marriages", Assimilation, and Degree of Grouping Among French Canadians in Prairie Provinces, I96I p. 59 Table VI Composite Table of Certain Comparative Data For the Main French-Canadian Group Settle• ments p. 64 Table VII Population of French Origin within French- Canadian Parishes of South-east Manitoba, 1961 pp. 65-66 Table VIII Population of French Ethnic Origin in "French" Municipalities of South-east Manitoba , p. 74 Table IX Retention, of French as a Mother-Tongue in Groups of South-east Manitoba, 1961 p. 76 Table X "French-Canadian" Schools in the Ste. Rose Settlement, 1965. p. 80 Table XI "French-Canadian" Schools in the Smaller Franco-Manitoban.Groups p. 87 Table XII "French-Canadian" Schools at St. Laurent p. 91 Table XIII Population within the "French-Canadian" Parishes of Peace River, 1965 - P* Table XIV Population of "French-Canadian" Schools in the Peace River Group, 1967 - p- 103 Table XV Population Within the French-Canadian Parishes of the St. Paul Group, I965 p. 108 vi 1: List of Tables - continued Table XVI Population of "French-Canadian" Schools in the St. Paul Group, 1967 . p. 109 Table XVII Population of "French-Canadian" Parishes in the St. Albert-Group, 1965 . p. 114 Table XVIII Population of "French-Canadian" Schools in the St. Albert-Group, 1967 . p. 114 Table XIX Population in French-Canadian Parishes of the Diocese of Gravelbourg, 1967 p« 125 Table XX Population of "French-Canadian" Schools in Southern Saskatchewan, 1966 „ p. 126 Table XXI Population Change in "French-Canadian" Municipalities of Southern Saskatchewan p. 130 Table XXII Population and Assimilation Indices for Southern Saskatchewan Settlements, I96I p. 132 Table XXIII Population and Assimilation Indices for Northern Saskatchewan Settlements, I96I p. 135 Table XXIV Population of "French-Canadian" Schools of Northern Saskatchewan, 1966. p. 136 Table XXV Rural and Urban Population of French Descent in Prairie Provinces, 1951 an(i 1961 p. 143 Table XXVI Population Change Among Those of French Origin in Selected Rural Municipalities and Cities of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 1951 and 1961 p. 144 Table XVII Population of French Ethnic Origin in Prairie Cities, 1961 p. 148 Table XVIII Population of "French-Canadian" Schools in St. Boniface, 1965 . P- 150 Table XXIX Population and Assimilation Indices within Major Prairie Cities, 1961 p. 156 Table XXX Population and Assimilation Indices in Census Tracts of St. Boniface, 1961 p. 156 viii List of Figures and Illustrations Figs. 1, 2, 3; Graphs Showing Changing Proportions of French, British, and "Other" Ethnic Origin in Populations of the.Prairie Provinces, 1881-1961. p. 10 Fig. 4 Changing Percentages of Persons of French Ethnic Origin in the Populations of the Prairie Provinces, I88I-I96I. p. 55 Fig. 5 Changing Percentages of Persons of French Ethnic Origin Claiming French as their Mother-Tongue in the Prairie Provinces, 1921-1961. p. 58 ix List of Maps Map 1 Distribution of. Rural Persons of French Ethnic Origin in the Prairie Provinces 1961. p. 24 Map la General Location Map of French-Canadian Group Settlements. p. 25 Maps 2-6 Distribution of Persons of French Ethnic Origin in the Major Prairie Cities, 1961. pp. 26-28 Map 7 Distribution of French-Canadian Parishes in the Prairie Provinces, 1966 p. 29 Map 8 The Varying Degree to which Those Rural Persons of French Ethnic Origin in the Prairie Provinces Retain French as Their Mother-Tongue, 1961 p. 39 Maps 9_13 The Varying Degree to which Persons of French Ethnic Origin in the Major Prairie Cities Retain French as Their Mother-Tongue, 1961 pp. 40-42 Map 14- Areas Covered by French-Language Radio and Television in the Prairie Provinces p. 53 X I should like to acknowledge the assistance of my adviser, Dr. J. L. Robinson, in the preparation of this thesis. My thanks are also due to Dr. Siemans and Dr. Minghi for their help and encouragement. • 1. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The difficulty of satisfactorily accommodating French-speaking Canadians within the Confederation remains Canada's most urgent political problem.