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The British conquest of Canada in 1760 marked the birth of an Englishspeaking minority in the colony. Although its political, economic, and social influence was great, numbers remained small until British immigration increased substantially in the first half of the nineteenth century. By 1850, English speakers made up nearly a quarter of the total population and were a majority in Montreal. Most could trace their origins to the British Isles, but over the next century people from other European countries were integrated into the community. English language schools played an important role in reinforcing the community until the Charter of the French language (1977) forced immigrants to attend French schools. The creation of separate institutions in education, health, and social services allowed English speakers to live apart from the majority and consider that they were part of an English-Canadian majority. The community relied on the mediation of their elites to defend their concerns. The old order collapsed, however, in the face of more vociferous national aspirations on the part of the majority. Since the election of a Parti Québécois government in 1976, uncertainty has increased and numbers have dwindled, putting into question the future viability of the community.
