Franco-Manitoban

Last updated
Franco-Manitobans
Franco-Manitobains
Flag of the Franco-Manitobains.svg
Franco-Manitoban flag
Total population
French ethnicity: 148,810 (2016)
Francophones: 40,975 (2016) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Manitoba (Winnipeg Metro Region, Eastman Region)
Languages
Canadian French  · Canadian English
Religion
Predominantly Christian (Roman Catholicism, other denominations)
Related ethnic groups
French Canadians (Acadians  · Franco-Albertan  · Franco-Columbian  · Franco-Ontarian  · Franco-Newfoundlander  · Franco-Ténois  · Franco-Yukonnais  · Fransaskois  · Québécois) · French  · French Americans  · Métis

Franco-Manitobans (French : Franco-Manitobains) are French Canadians or Canadian francophones living in the province of Manitoba. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 40,975 residents of the province stated that French was their mother tongue. In the same census, 148,810 Manitobans claimed to have either full or partial French ancestry. There are several Franco-Manitoban communities throughout Manitoba, although the majority are based in either the Winnipeg Capital Region or the Eastman Region.

Contents

The first francophones to enter the region were fur traders during the late 17th century, with the first French settlers arriving in the subsequent century. Francophones constituted the majority of the region's non-First Nations population until the mid 19th century, when anglophones became the linguistic majority. In 1869, the Red River Rebellion was sparked by a group of Métis francophones, eventually resulting in the admittance of the Red River Colony as a bilingual province of Canada. However, the provincial government moved to revoke the linguistic rights accorded to francophones late 19th and early 20th centuries. Restoration of these linguistic rights did not begin until 1970, when French was made an official language of its public education system. The linguistic rights of Franco-Manitobans was also furthered as a result of several decisions made by the Supreme Court of Canada during the 1970s to 1990s.

Demographics

According to the 2016 Canadian Census, the number of people that reported French as a mother tongue in Manitoba was 46,055 (or 3.7 per cent of the population), making it the most common mother tongue in the province after English, German, and Tagalog. [2] The majority of Franco-Manitobans are bilingual in English and French, with only 1,485 respondents (0.1 per cent of Manitobans) in the 2016 census reporting they only had proficiency in the French language. [2] There were 108,455 Manitobans or 8.6 per cent of the population that reported that they were bilingual in English and French, although that figure includes Manitobans that speak French as a second language. [2]

Nearly three quarters of all Franco-Manitobans (74 per cent of the population) were born in the province. [3] Approximately 15 per cent of francophones in Manitoba were born in Canada outside of Manitoba; while the remaining francophones that reside in the province were born outside the country. [3] Among French-speaking Manitobans that were born abroad, approximately 57 per cent originated from Africa, and 28 per cent originated from Europe. [3]

In the 2016 census, 148,810 Manitobans reported having partial or full French ancestry. [4]

Communities

Francophone communities in Manitoba is concentrated in southern Manitoba, along corridors that follows the Seine and Red River of the North towards Lake Manitoba. [5] Four out of five francophones in Manitoba reside in either the Winnipeg Capital Region or Eastman Region: 58 per cent in the Winnipeg Capital Region, 22 per cent in Eastman Region. [3] Approximately 90 per cent of all Franco-Manitobans live within an hour's drive from Winnipeg. [5]

There also exist francophone communities outside those regions, including Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, St. Claude, Sainte Rose du Lac, and St. Laurent. [6] Including the capital, there are 15 communities in the province that are officially designated as bilingual areas. [3]

History

The first French speakers to visit Manitoba occurred in the 1660s, with French fur traders and explorers exploring the region around Hudson's Bay. [5] However, the first attempts by francophones to settle the area did not occur until the 1730s, with French explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye and his sons establishing a permanent presence in southern Manitoba. A number of francophone fur traders married à la façon du pays, wedding First Nations wives whose children eventually developed a unique Métis identity. [5] Until the mid-19th century, fur traders continued to encompass the majority of Europeans in the region, with francophone French Canadians and Métis constituting the majority of the region's population. [7]

Members of the Red River provisional government established in 1870, which included a number of francophone Metis. The provisional government pressured the Canadian government to guarantee certain Metis and francophone rights in Manitoba. ProvisionalMetisGovernment.jpg
Members of the Red River provisional government established in 1870, which included a number of francophone Métis. The provisional government pressured the Canadian government to guarantee certain Métis and francophone rights in Manitoba.

In 1869, the government of Canada dispatched surveyors to survey Rupert's Land, with the transfer of the territory expected to occur in the next year. [5] However, Louis Riel and a group of Métis took control of Red River Colony, and declared a provisional government; refusing entry to Canadian government surveyors and resulting in the Red River Rebellion. The provisional government provided a list of terms for the colony's entry into Canadian Confederation, including land provisions for the Métis, and linguistic and religious rights for its francophone Catholic population. [5] The Canadian government eventually consented to the terms, with Manitoba formally made a province of confederation in the Manitoba Act in 1870, with English and French made the province's official language. [8]

In 1871, there were about 5,500 francophones in the province almost all of whom were Métis, and comprised more than half of the province's population. [9] However within the next ten years, francophones became a demographic minority in Manitoba as settlers from Ontario moved into the province in large numbers. [9] In 1890, the provincial government moved to remove the linguistic rights of francophones, with the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba passing an Act that made the English language the sole official language of the province. [10]

In the same year, the province moved to eliminate its separate school system, used predominantly by the francophone Catholic population of Manitoba. The resulting issue, the Manitoba Schools Question, became a contentious national issue between English and French Canada. [11] In 1896, the provincial and federal governments reached a compromise in which the separate school system would not be re-instituted, but religious and French language instruction would take place in the secular school system under certain conditions, and where francophone numbers warranted it. [11]

French language instruction continued to be permitted until March 1916, when the provincial legislature passed the Thornton Act, which repealed the aforementioned compromise, and forbade the use of any language other than English as the language of instruction in schools. [11] The following act was passed in an effort to homogenize the province with English as its dominant language, after it received an influx of migrants from non-English speaking countries. [11] After the Thornton Act was passed, the Association d’éducation des Canadiens français du Manitoba (AÉCFM) was formed by the Roman Catholic clergy, serving as a shadow ministry of education for Franco-Manitobans. [11] The AÉCFM provided financial assistance for prospective francophone teachers, and encouraged francophone teachers to continue providing French language instruction illicitly. [11] Francophone teachers who were able to continue teaching the French language were largely aided by the fact that the trustees of several school boards were effectively francophone-controlled. Additionally, many school inspectors that were sent to enforce the Thornton Act ignored infractions by francophone teachers; as they often relied on the AÉCFM to support their positions as inspectors. [11]

Formally however, French language instruction was not reintroduced in Manitoba's public school system until 1947, when it was introduced as a second language for secondary schools, and in 1955 for elementary schools. [11] Use of the French language to teach other subjects was introduced in 1967, with teachers permitted to use the language for half of the school day. [11] French would formally be reestablished as an official language of the provincial education system in 1970. [5]

Exterior of the Supreme Court of Canada building. During the latter half of the 20th century, the supreme court made a number of decisions that guaranteed the linguistic rights of Franco-Manitobans. Supreme court of Canada in summer.jpg
Exterior of the Supreme Court of Canada building. During the latter half of the 20th century, the supreme court made a number of decisions that guaranteed the linguistic rights of Franco-Manitobans.

An issue regarding the province's official language emerged during the late 1970s, when a francophone Métis received a parking ticket written only in English. [5] The case served as a basis for a successful constitutional challenge, where the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the 1890 act that made English the only language of the legislature, and judiciary, was unconstitutional, as it conflicted with section 23 of the Manitoba Act. [5] [12] The decision effectively made the province a bilingual province again. However, the provincial government continued to move slowly in re-instituting bilingual programs, resulting in another Franco-Manitoban to use his own parking ticket to launch a legal challenge that all legislation from 1890 to 1979 passed only in English were unconstitutional. [5] The resulting challenge caused significant tension between anglophones and Franco-Manitobans, with the Société franco-manitobaine offices firebombed in 1983. [5] A reference question was eventually posed to the supreme court, who ruled in Reference Re Manitoba Language Rights , that all legislation not printed in English and French were invalid; although did provide the provincial government a grace period to correct any unilingual documents. [13]

Another supreme court decision in 1993 ruled that francophone minority were afforded the right to manage and control their own educational facilities. [14] In order to comply with the supreme court's ruling, the Public Schools Amendment (francophone Schools Governance) Act was passed, establishing the Franco-manitoban School Division in 1994.

In 2016, the Francophone Community Enhancement and Support Act was passed with unanimous support, and no vocal opposition from the anglophone majority of Manitoba, signalling the acceptance of francophone linguistic rights within the province. [5]

Politics

The official language of the judiciary and legislature of Manitoba is English and French, under section 23 of the Manitoba Act. [12] The following section does not extend toward provincial government services. [5] However, efforts to provide French language services have been undertaken since the province's first French language policy was instituted in 1989, with French language access to provincial services available in areas where numbers warrant it. [5]

The Francophone Affairs Secretariat serves as the main liaison between the provincial government and the Franco-Manitoban community. [15] Conversely, the Société de la francophonie manitobaine serves as the main advocacy and lobby group for Franco-Manitobans.

Education

Elementary and secondary

French language education rights for minority francophone populations in Canada is guaranteed under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , in addition to section 23 of the Manitoba Act.

However, French language instruction was formally banned from the province from 1916 to 1947; although instruction of the language continued in some schools illicitly. [11] French was reintroduced as an official language of the public education system in 1970, with Franco-Manitobans given the right to control and manage school boards independent from their anglophone peers in 1993. [5] During the 1970s, the provincial government established the Bureau de l’Éducation française, and the office of the Deputy Minister of French Education to oversee French language education. [11]

The province's public francophone schools is administered by the Franco-manitoban School Division, which had an enrolment of nearly 5,400 children throughout 23 schools during the 2015–16 academic year. [3] [note 1]

Post-secondary

There is presently no independent publicly-funded francophone college or university in the province, although the publicly-funded University of Manitoba operates an affiliated university, the Université de Saint-Boniface as a francophone institution. In 2016 there were approximately 2,000 students attending the Université de Saint-Boniface. [3] The Université de Saint-Boniface is western Canada's only francophone post-secondary university. [3]

Culture and media

The Franco-Manitoban community is served by Radio-Canada's CKSB (Ici Radio-Canada Première), CKSB-FM (Ici musique) and CBWFT-DT (Ici Radio-Canada Télé), the community radio station CKXL-FM and the weekly newspaper La Liberté .

An ice sculpture crafted for the Festival du Voyageur, a festival that celebrates Franco-Manitoban culture. Sculpture for Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg, Manitoba.jpg
An ice sculpture crafted for the Festival du Voyageur, a festival that celebrates Franco-Manitoban culture.

In 1925, the Franco-Manitoban community founded Le Cercle Molière. It is the oldest French-language theatre organization in Canada. [7]

The Festival du Voyageur, held annually since 1970 in Saint-Boniface, is a major celebration in the Franco-Manitoban community. [16] Cinémental is an annual French-language film festival, staged at the Centre culturel Franco-Manitobain in Winnipeg. [17]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The school board maintains 23 schools that either provides elementary education, secondary education, or both.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitoba</span> Canadian province

Manitoba is a province of Canada at the longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's fifth-most populous province, with a population of 1,342,153 as of 2021. Manitoba has a widely varied landscape, from arctic tundra and the Hudson Bay coastline in the north to dense boreal forest, large freshwater lakes, and prairie grassland in the central and southern regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Canadians</span> North American ethnic group

French Canadians, or Franco-Canadians, are an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to French colonists who settled in France's colony of Canada beginning in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco-Ontarians</span> Francophone resident of the Canadian province of Ontario

Franco-Ontarians are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario. Most are French Canadians from Ontario. In 2021, according to the Government of Ontario, there were 650,000 Francophones in the province. The majority of Franco-Ontarians in the province reside in Eastern Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, and Central Ontario, although small francophone communities may be found in other regions of the province.

<i>Manitoba Schools Question</i> 1890–1896 Canadian political crisis

The Manitoba Schools Question was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The crisis was precipitated by a series of provincial laws passed between 1890 and 1896, and another passed in 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Université de Saint-Boniface</span>

The Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) is a French-language public university located in the Saint Boniface neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. An affiliated institution of the University of Manitoba, the university offers general and specialized university degree programs as well as technical and professional training. In 2014, 1,368 regular students were enrolled. Its Continuing Education Division, which includes a language school, has also counted over 4,200 enrolments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Boniface, Winnipeg</span> Suburb in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

St-Boniface is a city ward and neighbourhood in Winnipeg. Along with being the centre of the Franco-Manitoban community, it ranks as the largest francophone community in Western Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc-Amable Girard</span> Canadian politician

Marc-Amable Girard was the second premier of Manitoba, and the first Franco-Manitoban to hold that post. The Canadian Parliamentary Guide lists Girard as having been Premier from 1871 to 1872, but he did not have this title at the time and was not the government leader. In 1874, however, Girard led Manitoba's first ministry to be constituted on principles of "responsible government". In this sense, he may be regarded as the first Premier of Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Canada</span> Overview of the languages spoken in Canada

A multitude of languages have always been spoken in Canada. Prior to Confederation, the territories that would become Canada were home to over 70 distinct languages across 12 or so language families. Today, a majority of those indigenous languages are still spoken; however, most are endangered and only about 0.6% of the Canadian population report an Indigenous language as their mother tongue. Since the establishment of the Canadian state, English and French have been the co-official languages and are, by far, the most-spoken languages in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fransaskois</span> Francophone residents of Saskatchewan, Canada

Fransaskois, , Franco-Saskatchewanais or Franco-Saskatchewanians are French Canadians or Canadian francophones living in the province of Saskatchewan. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, approximately 17,735 residents of the province stated that French was their mother tongue. In the same census, 125,810 Saskatchewanians claimed full or partial French ancestry. There are several Fransaskois communities in Saskatchewan, although the majority of francophones in Saskatchewan reside in the province's three largest cities, Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French language in Canada</span>

French is the mother tongue of approximately 7.2 million Canadians according to the 2016 Canadian Census. Most Canadian native speakers of French live in Quebec, the only province where French is the majority and the sole official language. Of Quebec's people, 71.2 percent are native francophones and 95 percent speak French as their first or second language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Official bilingualism in Canada</span> Policy that the English and French languages have equal status and usage in Canadian government

The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada," according to Canada's constitution. "Official bilingualism" is the term used in Canada to collectively describe the policies, constitutional provisions, and laws that ensure legal equality of English and French in the Parliament and courts of Canada, protect the linguistic rights of English- and French-speaking minorities in different provinces, and ensure a level of government services in both languages across Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco-Albertans</span>

Franco-Albertans are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Alberta. Franco-Albertans may also refer to residents of Alberta with French Canadian ancestry, although publications from the government of Alberta use the term Franco-Albertan to refer to its francophone residents. In the 2016 Canadian Census, there were 86,705 Albertans that stated their mother tongue was French. In the same census, there were 411,315 Albertans that claim partial or full French ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco-Columbian</span> French people in British Columbia, Canada

Franco-Columbians are French Canadians or Canadian francophones living in the province of British Columbia. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 71,705 residents of the province stated that French is their mother tongue. In the same census, 388,815 British Columbians claimed full or partial French ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco-Ténois</span> Community of francophones in Northwest Territories, Canada

Franco-Ténois, originating from the acronym TNO, the French term for the Northwest Territories of Canada, refers to the widespread community of francophones who reside in the Northwest Territories.

Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the section of the Constitution of Canada that guarantees minority language educational rights to French-speaking communities outside Quebec, and, to a lesser extent, English-speaking minorities in Quebec. The section may be particularly notable, in that some scholars believe that section 23 "was the only part of the Charter with which Pierre Trudeau was truly concerned." Trudeau was the prime minister who fought for the inclusion of the Charter of Rights in the Constitution of Canada in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festival du Voyageur</span> Winter festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Festival du Voyageur is an annual 10-day winter festival that takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The event is held each February in Winnipeg's French quarter, Saint-Boniface, and is western Canada's largest winter festival. It celebrates Canada's fur-trading past and unique French heritage and culture through entertainment, arts and crafts, music, exhibits, and displays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Manitoba</span> Political system of Manitoba

The Province of Manitoba, similar to other Canadian provinces and territories, is governed through a Westminster-based parliamentary system. The Manitoba government's authority to conduct provincial affairs is derived from the Constitution of Canada, which divides legislative powers among the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures. Manitoba operates through three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch—the Government of Manitoba—consists of the Executive Council and the Premier, who is the head of government and the President of the Executive Council. The legislative branch—the Manitoba Legislature—is composed of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly, which is composed of the 57 members (MLAs) elected to represent the people of Manitoba, as well as the Speaker, the Clerk, the Officers of the Legislative Assembly, and the employees of the legislative service.

Because the country contains two major language groups and numerous other linguistic minorities, in Canada official languages policy has always been an important and high-profile area of public policy.

<i>Public Schools Act</i> (Manitoba) Public education legislation in Manitoba, Canada

The Public Schools Act is the legislation that governs public education in Manitoba, Canada.

The language policies of Canada's province and territories vary between the provinces and territories of Canada. Although the federal government operates as an officially bilingual institution, providing services in English and French, several provincial governments have also instituted or legislated their own language policies.

References

  1. ↑ "Census 2016, focus on geography series - Manitoba - Official language minority community". 8 February 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census - Manitoba". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Infographic: The French Presence in Manitoba". Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Government of Canada. September 13, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Manitoba - Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Collins, Emmet (28 November 2017). "Francophones of Manitoba". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Profiles of francophone communities in Manitoba". www.cic.gc.ca. Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 7 October 2007. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  7. 1 2 Moss, Jane (2004). "The Drama of Identity in Canada's Francophone West". American Review of Canadian Studies. 34 (1): 81–97. doi:10.1080/02722010409481686. ISSN   0272-2011. S2CID   143676759.
  8. ↑ Manitoba Act, 1870 Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine , s. 23.
  9. 1 2 Driedger, Leo (1979). "Maintenance of Urban Ethnic Boundaries: the French in St. Boniface". The Sociological Quarterly. 20 (1): 89–108. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1979.tb02187.x. ISSN   0038-0253.
  10. ↑ An Act to Provide that the English Language shall be the Official Language of the Province of Manitoba, S.M. 1890, c. 14.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Verrette, Michel (1 June 2016). "Manitoba School Question". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  12. 1 2 Gill, Robert M. (1982). "Federal, Provincial and Local Language Legislation in Manitoba and the Franco-Manitobans". American Review of Canadian Studies. 12 (1): 30–52. doi:10.1080/02722018209480735. ISSN   0272-2011.
  13. ↑ "The Supreme Court of Canada declares all of Manitoba's legislative documents to be invalid because they were adopted in English only". www.clo-ocol.gc.ca. Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "The Supreme Court of Canada confirms the right to minority control over French-language facilities". www.clo-ocol.gc.ca. Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Francophone Affairs Secretariat". www.gov.mb.ca. Government of Manitoba. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "50th Anniversary of Festival du Voyageur". Manitoba History (88): 11A+. December 22, 2018 – via Gale Academic Onefile.
  17. ↑ Jérémy Laniel, "Le festival Cinémental s'ouvre vendredi au CCFM". Ici Radio-Canada Manitoba, October 21, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.