A United Front
Following the adoption of the Official Languages Act in 1969, the federal government committed itself to promoting bilingualism. In addition to creating the position of Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, it allocated funds for the learning of French in the federal public service and began negotiations with the provinces to promote education in both official languages. In 1971, the Secretary of State set up the Official Language Minority Communities Support Program to provide funding to French-language and English-language minority associations. However, in the eyes of the Fédération des francophones hors Québec (FFHQ), created in November 1975, these measures were decidedly insufficient.
The FFHQ criticized the federal authorities for emphasizing on institutional bilingualism. This approach, focused on the delivery of government services, would be to the detriment of community initiatives aimed at ensuring the long-term survival of the French language.
On the eve of its first anniversary, the FFHQ invited its entire network of associations to join forces and communicate their concerns to the Prime Minister’s Office. Through a campaign of letters and telegrams, the initiative worked to denounce “the inertia of the Secretary of State in responding to the most pressing needs of francophones.” This collective initiative called for increased investment in community groups, advocating for the overall funding envelope to increase from $3 million to $6 million.
At a press conference, FFHQ President Donatien Gaudet summed up the spirit behind the campaign: “What and for whom are all the bilingual institutional services going to be used if francophone communities are wiped out for lack of the resources the federal government refuses to provide[?]”(Le Droit, September 30, 1976). In November 1976, a mere $500,000 increase was announced.
At a time when the federal government was becoming a key player in the francophone minority institutional network, this campaign testified to the growing importance of public funding for francophone organizations. It also heralded a cooling in relations between the FFHQ and the federal government. Despite its mixed success, this episode positioned the FFHQ as the main lobby group for the political and identity-related causes of French-speaking minority communities.
Title of the document : Lettre de Rémy Beauregard, secrétaire général, Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario au compatriote franco-ontarien, 2 p.
Date : 8 November 1976
Reference : University of Ottawa, Centre de recherche sur les francophonies canadiennes (CRCCF), Fonds Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario (ACFO), C2/180/6.
To learn more about this topic:
Printed sources
Allaire Gratien. « De l’Église à l’État. Le financement des organismes francophones de l’Ouest, 1956-1970 », dans Jean Lafontant (dir.), L’État et les minorités, Saint-Boniface, Éditions du Blé et Presses universitaires de Saint-Boniface, 1993, p. 229-243.
« Bilinguisme : le fédéral fait fausse route », Le Droit, 30 septembre 1976, p. 1.
Bissonette, Lise. « Selon la Fédération des francophones hors Québec, la politique de bilinguisme est un échec », Le Devoir, 30 septembre 1976, p. 1-6.
Gagné, J-Alphée. « Les communautés francophones hors Québec s’impatientent », Le Soleil, 30 septembre 1976, p. B 1.
Léger, Rémi. « Le régime linguistique canadien à l’épreuve du désir de faire société », International Journal of Canadian Studies / Revue internationale d’études canadiennes, no 45-46 (2012), p. 187-198.
« Les Franco-Ontariens sont déçus de la hausse minime du budget de bilinguisme aux minorités », Le Devoir, 17 novembre 1976, p. 8.
Martel, Marcel. « Les politiques gouvernementales fédérale et québécoise à l’égard des minorités francophones du Canada, 1960-1980 », Francophonies d’Amérique, vol. 9 (1999), p. 199-208.
Richard, Paul-Émile. « Un nouveau tabou… bilingue », Le Droit, 6 octobre 1976.
Savard, Stéphane. « Pour “Une politique globale, précise, cohérente et définitive de développement” : les leaders franco-ontariens et les encadrements politiques fédéraux, 1968-1984 », Politique et Sociétés, vol. 27, no 1 (2008), p. 129-155.
