Published by the Association historique francophone de Victoria and authored by John Greene, French Presence in Victoria, B.C., 1843–1991 chronicles nearly a century and a half of Francophone contributions to the cultural, economic, and religious fabric of Vancouver Island. The book traces the arrival of French-Canadian fur traders, Catholic missionaries, and European immigrants who helped establish and shape the early colonial capital long before Confederation. Through archival records, church registers, and personal accounts, the text illuminates how a distinct Francophone community maintained its linguistic and cultural identity despite the overwhelming dominance of British institutions. A keen insight drawn from the work is how multiculturalism in early Western Canadian cities existed beneath a veneer of British imperial hegemony; by uncovering the vital, behind-the-scenes roles played by French speakers in commerce and governance, the study reveals that the foundational history of British Columbia was far more pluralistic than its overtly Anglo-Saxon administrative facade suggested.