The first francophones to enter the region were French Canadian voyageurs employed with the North West Company during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Franco-Columbians formed the majority of Europeans in the region until the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858, which saw anglophone settlers become the predominant group in the area.

[1] French is the seventh most commonly reported ethnic group in British Columbia after English, Canadian, Scottish, Irish, German, and Chinese.

[13][14] In addition to the Lower Mainland, francophone community centres and resources can also be found in Kamloops,[15] Nanaimo[16] Nelson,[17] Kelowna,[18] Penticton,[19] Powell River,[20] Prince George,[21] and Victoria.

[22] The first French Canadians that was documented in the region was in 1793, working as guides, interpreters, and voyageurs for the North West Company's expedition through the Rocky Mountains.

[4] French Canadians made up of the majority of the crews for subsequent North West Company expeditions undertaken by David Thompson and Simon Fraser.

[3] The French-speaking voyageurs and traders continued to make up the majority of the Europeans that settled near the fur trading posts of the Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Island.

[4] French remained the language of instruction for these missionaries until the 1850s, when English became more prominent, and recruits were increasingly drawn from the anglophone population.

[4] In addition to fur trading and missionary work, francophones were also employed with the first law enforcement and military unit raised within the Colony of Vancouver Island.

Formed by the colonial governor in 1851, the Victoria Voltigeurs was a volunteer unit made up of French-speaking Métis and French Canadian voyageurs.

[23] Although the influx in migrants from the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858 occurred for only a brief period, it caused a significant shift in the demographics of the newly established Colony of British Columbia, with French being displaced as the dominant European language in the region.

[4] In 1945, the Fédération canadienne-française de la Colombie-Britannique (FFCB) was formed by francophones in British Columbia, providing a collective voice for various local Franco-Columbian organizations, and as an attempt to advance French-language accessibility rights within the province.

[4] FFCB lobbying efforts eventually led to the creation of Programme cadre de français in 1978, where French first language classes would be held in English-language schools.

[4] The passage of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 saw the FFCB to continue to push for a separately managed school board for the province's French language classes, leading to a lengthy court battle between the provincial government, and the Fédération des parents francophones de la Colombie-Britannique.

However, the Supreme Court found that the person accused of an offence under BC provincial law would have the right to a trial in either official language as provided under the Criminal Code; as section 133 of British Columbia's Offence Act defers to the Criminal Code for procedural and trial governance issues not addressed by provincial law – such as language.

[32] A French-language theatre group called Théâtre la Seizième is also active in the province[36] as well as the dance troupes Danseurs du Pacifique[37] and Les Cornouillers,[38] and the annual BC Francophone Games.

[13] The Conseil Culturel et Artistique de la Colombie Britannique serves as a community organization in the area of arts and culture.

[39] The Calendrier francophone de la Colombie-Britannique is the province's online french-language event calendar, which was founded in 2016 by Ashton Ramsay.