Discusses the attempt to establish French as a second official language in Manitoba and subsequent briefs submitted by individuals, groups, and municipalities declaring their positions on bilingualism during the 1983-84 language conflict. The two major issues that dominated public hearings on the proposed legislation entailed the legal justification for bilingualism and the expansion of French-language services, and the question of minority rights and the shift in power from the legislature to the courts. Prejudice, regionalism, and alienation also played significant roles in the language controversy.