NEATBY CarletonUniversity BRITAIN AND THE COMMONWEALTH Pride'sPurge:Politics in thePuritanRevolution. Withsome books theomission mightnotbenoticed. The reader,however, willbedisappointed tofindthatChapterxIII endsinmid-sentence. The 1971statistics areonlynowbecoming accessible andthisbook willstillbethelogical starting-point forup-datingtheanalysis. This isless of a disadvantage than onemightexpect. The statistics arebased on the I96I census. But these comments areobiterdicta thedemographic dataprovidea solidfoundation for his thesis. In dealingwith the province of Quebec,however, hegives a gooddealof importance tothelegislation in thefieldof education. At timeshe is a determinist,arguingthat the 'social milieu'or the'forces of theenvironment' areimmutable.'Mere legislation' isnot likelyto affecttheoutcome. He is lessconvincingwhen he goesbeyondthe data and commentson factorswhich are lesseasilymeasured. Joyhasuseddemographic data very effectivelyto supporthis thesis. French Canadians,however,tend to stayin the provincewhereas English-speaking Quebecois are morelikely to leave.The long-termtrendhasthereforebeenan increase in the proportionof French mother-tongue citizensin the province.The number of non-French persons in Montrealhasbeenincreasing buteventheretheyforma smaller proportionof the total population the restof the provinceis rapidlybecoming Frenchby ethnicoriginand by mothertongue. Only in Quebecis the situationreversed.Most immigrantsto the province have becomeEnglish-speaking with the declinein Quebec'sbirth rate, la revanchedesberceauxisa discredited myth. Even in New Brunswick, where the proportionof Frenchspeakingcitizenshad beenincreasing over the last century,the decadefrom i95I-6I showeda relative decline.The explanationis emigrationfrom an economically depressed area rather than assimilation, but the projectedresult isstill the dominance of the Englishlanguage.Joyshows that French-speaking minoritiesare no longerbeing bolsteredby French-speaking emigrantsfrom Quebecand sohe postulates their eventualdisappearance. Joyhasgonefartherbycorrelating agegroups withethnicoriginand mothertongueandhasshownthat assimilation ismuchhigheramongthelower agegroups.His figuressuggest that EnglishisreplacingFrenchat a much more rapidratethaneventhemostpessimistic leaders of theFrench-Canadian minoritieshave feared. REVIEWS 99 French astheir mother tongue the gap hasalwaysbeen seenas a measureof assimilation. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:
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