This history of Ontario’s French heritage, from 1610 to 2010, is a detailed account
of the various waves of Franco-Ontarian settlement, of the linguistic struggles over
more than one hundred years, and of the political and cultural contribution of Ontario’s
French language minority group. The role of religious orders in the field of education
and health is particularly highlighted. The essay also provides statistics on the
increasingly multicultural nature of the Franco-Ontarian community.