The late 1960s and early 1970s marked a “cultural turning point” for French-speaking minority communities. After the Estates General of French Canada, a period of affirmation followed, with a new generation of artists taking an identity-based look at the language and social realities of minority communities. We need only to think of plays like La Sagouine (1971), Moé j'viens du Nord, 'stie (1971), and Je m'en vais à Régina (1975), in which the protagonists unabashedly embrace the language and customs of their communities.

In many places, the youth of the baby boom generation expressed themselves in boîtes à chansons (small entertainment venues). The growing popularity of these establishments with the public testified to the birth of a francophone music distinct from the traditional repertoire. Singer-songwriters such as Manitoba’s Daniel Lavoie, Acadia’s Édith Butler, and Ontario’s Robert Paquette started their careers playing to audiences in such places.

In Manitoba, given the extent of the phenomenon, a question arose: why not give the community a permanent venue? The answer came in 1967, with the opening of St. Boniface’s first cultural centre. With the help of the organization Jeunes Franco-Manitobains, and with financial backing from teacher and activist Antoine Gaborieau (1926-2010), the 100 NONS was created and tasked with running a cabaret. Artists began performing in the fall of 1967.

In the aftermath of the Rallye du Manitoba français, community leaders agreed to ask the federal government for more funding for culture. In a brief submitted to the Secretary of State, the Association des Canadiens français du Manitoba (ACFM) called for increased support for the performing arts (La Liberté et le patriote, November 13, 1968). The text echoed a letter from 100 NONS to the Secretary of State Gérard Pelletier, which requested funds to modernize the theatre and its equipment.

Federal authorities were receptive. By the early 1970s, 100 NONS was receiving an annual subsidy. The success of 100 NONS testified to the growing importance of the cultural sector in affirming the identity of francophone minority communities, but also to the growing role of the government in supporting these communities.