Working towards a French-language school board for Ottawa

On April 11, 1988, the Minister of Education Chris Ward introduces Bill 109 in the Legislative Assembly, thereby creating the Conseil scolaire de langue française d’Ottawa-Carleton. French-language schools in the region will now be managed by and for Francophones. This outcome is the culmination of twenty-five years of school advocacy with the provincial government, and infighting within the Ottawa Francophone community around issues of language and faith in education.

It is at the 1963 Association canadienne-française d’éducation d’Ontario (ACFÉO) conference that the desire of Francophones to manage their schools first emerges. The idea of ​​consolidating all the French schools in the Ottawa-Carleton region under one structure is repeated several times in years to follow, fueled by alarming statistics regarding Francophone assimilation. Considering the growing role of the school as a rallying point for the community, the survival of the minority is also at stake.

Advocates for a French-language school board in the Ottawa-Carleton region receive a big boost in 1976. The Mayo commission, created to assess local government structures in Ottawa-Carleton, expands its mandate to include education issues. After extensive consultation with Francophones, the Commission recommends creating a French-language school board.

Galvanized by this “moral” victory, the conseil régional d’Ottawa-Carleton of the l’Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario makes the French-language school board one of its priority issues. The following year, the creation of a common front to consolidate the region’s French schools into one French school system, marks a major advance. The establishment of another group to work toward the same goal – the Conseil de planification scolaire d’Ottawa-Carleton, which brings together 32 Francophone councillors from the region – marks another. Working on certain files of common interest this “parallel” council prepares, so to speak, for transitioning toward a school board that would include all French schools, Catholic and public, in the Ottawa-Carleton area.

Unanimity is, however, not so easy to achieve among Francophones in Ottawa. Several community leaders campaign to protect their religious rights, and call for Catholic Francophone school boards. But Ottawa’s Archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde succeeds in convincing them to mobilize around the idea of ​​a French-language school board where Catholic and public schools would co-exist.

The idea is strongly opposed by the Conservative government of Ontario, led by Bill Davis. It makes a counterproposal to create linguistic sections within school boards, and to give them broader autonomy in pedagogical matters. And it chooses to consolidate the denominational school system by completing government funding to Catholic secondary schools in 1984. The common front subsequently crumbles, Catholic school boards open Francophone secondary schools, and public school boards establish Francophone elementary schools, which until then have been few in number.

When the Liberals, who are more sympathetic to Francophone concerns, take office at Queen's Park in 1985, the French-language school board project returns to the forefront. The study group established on December 12, 1985 is replaced by a planning committee in May 1987, led by none other than Maurice Lapointe, propelled to the forefront the previous year by his particularly bold proposals regarding an operational model for the future Ottawa-Carleton French-language school board. Bill 109, establishing the Conseil scolaire de langue française d’Ottawa-Carleton is passed on June 29, 1988.

 

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Inauguration of the Conseil scolaire de langue française [d’]Ott[awa-]Carleton. On the left, President Aurèle Lalonde. Photo: M [ichel] Tessier, Le Droit, November 28, 1989.

University fo Ottawa, CRCCF, Fonds Le Droit (C71), Ph92-7-281189CSLFOC-27.

Black and white photograph of two mature men wearing suits and ties. They are smiling as they lift away a cloth to unveil a plaque commemorating the inauguration of the French-language school board. One man looks directly at the camera, while the other looks to one side.

Rapport de la Commission d'étude pour le remaniement d'Ottawa-Carleton

Rapport de la Commission d’étude pour le remaniement d’Ottawa-Carleton (Commission Mayo), October 1976, cover page and p. 147-150. Advocates for an Ottawa-Carleton French-language school board receive a significant boost in 1976 when the Mayo Commission, created to assess local government structures in Ottawa-Carleton, expands its mandate to include education issues. After extensive consultation with Francophones in the region, the Commission recommends creating a French-language school board. An English version of the report exists, entitled Report of the Ottawa-Carleton Review Commission.

University of Ottawa, CRCCF, Collection de la bibliothèque du CRCCF, JS1767_R4M3 1976pc, 147-150.

Document printed in French. The title and the other information on the cover are printed in black, on an orange background, as well as the Ontario government logo. The following pages offer dense text, with no space between paragraphs. Page 149 shows a table with results of a questionnaire administered by the Commission.
Document printed in French. The title and the other information on the cover are printed in black, on an orange background, as well as the Ontario government logo. The following pages offer dense text, with no space between paragraphs. Page 149 shows a table with results of a questionnaire administered by the Commission.Document printed in French. The title and the other information on the cover are printed in black, on an orange background, as well as the Ontario government logo. The following pages offer dense text, with no space between paragraphs. Page 149 shows a table with results of a questionnaire administered by the Commission.Document printed in French. The title and the other information on the cover are printed in black, on an orange background, as well as the Ontario government logo. The following pages offer dense text, with no space between paragraphs. Page 149 shows a table with results of a questionnaire administered by the Commission.Document printed in French. The title and the other information on the cover are printed in black, on an orange background, as well as the Ontario government logo. The following pages offer dense text, with no space between paragraphs. Page 149 shows a table with results of a questionnaire administered by the Commission.

Conseil francophone de planification scolaire d’Ottawa-Carleton

List of founding members and fact sheet issued by the Conseil francophone de planification scolaire d’Ottawa-Carleton, Ottawa, March 4, 1986. The Council brings together 32 Francophone councillors from the region. Working on certain files of common interest this “parallel” council prepares, so to speak, for a transition toward a school board that would include all French schools, Catholic and public, in the Ottawa-Carleton area. 
 

University of Ottawa, CRCCF, Fonds Conseil francophone de planification scolaire d’Ottawa-Carleton (C95), C95/1/1.

Document typewritten in French. The main titles appear in uppercase and underscored letters. The list of names on the first page is organized by committee or by council. The fact sheet on the second and third pages describes the organization. Source, as well as address and phone number appear on the two first pages.
Document typewritten in French. The main titles appear in uppercase and underscored letters. The list of names on the first page is organized by committee or by council. The fact sheet on the second and third pages describes the organization. Source, as well as address and phone number appear on the two first pages.Document typewritten in French. The main titles appear in uppercase and underscored letters. The list of names on the first page is organized by committee or by council. The fact sheet on the second and third pages describes the organization. Source, as well as address and phone number appear on the two first pages.

Mémoire présenté au Comité d’étude sur l’éducation de langue française d’Ottawa-Carleton

Brief submitted by the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) to the Comité d’étude sur l’éducation de langue française d’Ottawa-Carleton, April 29, 1986, cover page and page 1. In this submission, AEFO reiterates that all Francophones in Ontario should be able to benefit from the full management of their own schools.

University of Ottawa, CRCCF, Fonds Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (C50), C50/12/2/4.

Brief typewritten in French. The cover page is printed in black on a green background, with a logo positioned at the bottom of the page. A call number has been added by hand. The document is printed on white paper and bears traces of a spiral binding.
Brief typewritten in French. The cover page is printed in black on a green background, with a logo positioned at the bottom of the page. A call number has been added by hand. The document is printed on white paper and bears traces of a spiral binding.

Brother Maurice Lapointe

Brother Maurice Lapointe, a leading figure in school management issues and first general manager (interim) of the Conseil scolaire de langue française d'Ottawa-Carleton. Surrounded by several visibly happy students, he is attending the inauguration of the new public elementary school named after him in the Kanata area, April 2011. Photo: Le Droit.

Le Droit, 110401 ecole maurice-lapointe0045.

Colour photograph of an elderly man wearing a suit and tie. He sits, smiling, in the midst of a group of children representing gender and racial diversity. The children, dressed in varying shades and patterns of red and pink, also smile and wave at the camera.

“Des conseils scolaires homogènes”

A long-time activist, Lucien Bradet works in the education sector as a school board trustee for 16 years. He fights for homogeneous French-language school boards which bring together the Catholic and public sectors. Photo: Mercy Ships Canada, September 13, 2016.

“Des conseils scolaires homogènes” (“A homogeneous school system”). Excerpt from the “major witness” interview granted by Lucien Bradet to the Chantier Ottawa (“Construction dʼune mémoire française à Ottawa : savoirs communautaires et réseaux sociaux” project), 2012.

University of Ottawa, CRCCF, Projet Chantier Ottawa, 5. Lucien Bradet - un système scolaire homogène (1)

Colour photograph of an older man with greying hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and striped red tie. He smiles at the camera.
Transcription

L. Bradet: “A homogeneous school system”

You may remember how, in the early 1960s if I remember correctly, we had French secondary schools in the public system. And in the early 1970s they said, ‘This isn’t satisfactory. We need something better.’ So, there were French-language advisory committees. Then we started fighting for homogeneous school boards. They were called ‘homogeneous’ school boards. It was the vocabulary we constantly used. ‘Homogeneous’, why were we saying ‘homogeneous’?

What we wanted to say was that we wanted French-language school boards – period – instead of public French-language school boards, Catholic French-language school boards. We tried to organize it to be ‘homogeneous’, with everything together, not separated by religion.

It was a really huge battle. And we thought that by doing that, it would give us an undeniable critical mass.

One of the books that speaks well of that period is the book by Odile Gérin. It’s a very valuable book historically. All the names I’ve mentioned to you, they all appear in that book. They’re all tangled up, but one of you should try to poke around in it, to add details I’ve forgotten. I forget details because it's a pretty complex story. You could put the elements together much easier.

And that happened ... eighty per cent of the history of French-language school boards took place in Ottawa, so don’t be fooled. Don’t let yourself be fooled. It happened in Ottawa  (Translated from the original).

Ottawa’s voice at Queen’s Park
La Cité collégiale