The report explores the situation of francophone minorities in Canada and outside Quebec, focusing on the concepts of assimilation and community vitality in language-minority communities. Chapter 1 looks at the concepts of assimilation and community vitality both in Canada and internationally. Chapter 2 gives a broad description of the policy context at the federal level in Canada. Chapter three examines the use of those concepts within the public debate in Canada, including Quebec, and chapter four presents demographic data on the current health of francophone communities outside Quebec, looking at a wide variety of data. Chapter 5 draws some conclusions and offers suggestions for further inquiry. Appended materials include the texts of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Official Languages Act of 1988. The full text is presented in both English and French. Contains 32 references. (MSE)