Social Problem Resolved?
With the introduction of the completely inadequate and socially unjust Laurier-Greenway 'Sunny Ways' deal in 1896, both the Federal Government and the Manitoba Provincial Government assumed the Franco-Manitobans would be appeased and would not continue their protests of outrage against the government. It was assumed by both levels of Government that the declining trends in numbers of French-Manitobans would continue (% of French language schools had declined from 50% to 12% between 1870-1890) and that eventually Manitoba would have an English only school system (see Table 1).
However, the increasing influx of minority language-speaking immigrants in addition to those speaking French that settled in Manitoba from Europe, all exerted their rights under the 1896 amendment to the Manitoba Schools Act to be educated in their minority language (if the number of children in any one area was over the minimum required). By 1915 the number of Bilingual versus English only schools had increased significantly since 1896 (Table 2). [1]
Table 2: Number of Bilingual versus English-only Schools in Manitoba in 1915
Language of Instruction Total Number of Schools
French/English 115
German/English 67
Ukrainian/English 94
Total Bilingual Schools 276
Total Unilingual Schools (English-only) ˃1,200
This sparked an even further backlash by the Provincial Government against the language rights of the Franco-Manitobans. In 1916 the Provincial Government led by Premier T.C. Norris and the Ministry of Education led by Dr. R.S. Thornton initiated a new legislation to repeal (remove) the section of the Public Schools Act which permitted bilingual education in schools in Manitoba supported by public funds. The Government claimed that the 1896 amendment went against the 1867 Constitution (The British North America Act Section 93 about Education rights). However, the underlying reason was an unfounded fear, during WW1, that there would be social and labour unrest by the Manitoba immigrants from Europe that the Government could not deal with. The legislature grouped all minority language education rights together and abolished the rights to all minority language teaching. At the same time the Government unanimously approved the School Attendance Act making school attendance compulsory and instruction to be unilingual in English. Thus, the Franco-Manitobans, who had been outraged in 1890 by the social injustice, and who had fought hard for 25 years for their language rights, were faced once again with their rights violated just as they had been in 1890, 26 years before. The French speaking people mobilized and formed L'Association D'education Canadienne Francophone de Manitoba (AECFM). [2]
For close to 50 years this situation persisted in Manitoba until the 1960's when changes happened at the Federal Government level regarding language rights and bilingualism in Canada. In the early 1960's the Liberal Government under Lester B. Pearson (pictured above far right) created a Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963), and on September 9, 1969 the Liberal Government led by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (pictured above second from right) enacted the Official Languages Act giving French and English equal status in the Government of Canada as the official languages of the Federal Government. Unfortunately, the Manitoba Provincial Government refused to overturn its ban on the use of French in their provincial legislature and courts (since 1890) at this time and refused until 1985 when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Manitoba was acting unconstitutionally and made Manitoba translate all of its laws into French. [3]
In response to the Federal Government's push for support of bilingualism in the 1960's, and the strong voice of all Franco-Manitobans in the province, Manitoba revised its Public Schools Act in 1966 and 1970. In 1966, Bill 258 was introduced allowing some French instruction in Public Schools and in 1970, this was amended with Bill 113 that allowed for instruction completely in French throughout the school day for grades up to the 3rd grade and a percentage of the total time for grades 4-12. The Société Franco-Manitobaine (SFM) was created in 1968 to replace AECFM. Today the SFM is the official spokes group of the French speaking (francophone) community in Manitoba. [4]
One of the most significant events in support of French-language rights in Canada happened in 1982 when the Liberal Government led by Pierre Trudeau introduced the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms after a long and arduous road of discussion and negotiation. The Charter was further revised in 1988 to amend some weaknesses that existed before. The 1982 Charter under Section 23 required that provinces and territories make education available in both official languages where numbers warrant this. Thus, Section 23 of the Charter provided a limited right ("where numbers warrant") for children to receive publicly funded primary and secondary-schooling in French and English when they are in a minority situation (i.e. French-language schooling in Manitoba) and was finally a resolution to the social injustice that Manitoba imposed on Franco-Manitobans since 1890. [5]
In 1994 the Franco-Manitobans succeeded in forming the Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine (DSFM) a French language school board that offers French-language education to its students. This right to French language education was gained through Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and after court challenges to establish the rights for separate minority language education in Manitoba. [6]
In 2000 the Supreme Court of Canada made an interpretation of Section 23 and ruled that the purpose of this section is to readdress past injustices and provide an official language minority with equal access to high quality education in its own language in circumstances where community development will be enhanced. [7] Further rulings on Section 23 have been made by the Supreme Court of Canada, to ensure the rights of Franco-Manitobans are upheld under the Charter.
As of 2012, approximately 19,000 of the total number of 181,329 students attending school in Manitoba were enrolled in 103 French Immersion schools and 29 Francais schools. [8]
On the basis of the progress that has been made constitutionally, judicially and within the educational system in Manitoba it can be suggested that the original injustice of 1890 has been resolved to a large extent. However, minority language rights in our Country continue to be an issue that sparks considerable emotional reaction and debate, as it should, based on the injustices of the past and the long road that has been taken by the Francophonie to fight for their rights each and every step of the way.
However, the increasing influx of minority language-speaking immigrants in addition to those speaking French that settled in Manitoba from Europe, all exerted their rights under the 1896 amendment to the Manitoba Schools Act to be educated in their minority language (if the number of children in any one area was over the minimum required). By 1915 the number of Bilingual versus English only schools had increased significantly since 1896 (Table 2). [1]
Table 2: Number of Bilingual versus English-only Schools in Manitoba in 1915
Language of Instruction Total Number of Schools
French/English 115
German/English 67
Ukrainian/English 94
Total Bilingual Schools 276
Total Unilingual Schools (English-only) ˃1,200
This sparked an even further backlash by the Provincial Government against the language rights of the Franco-Manitobans. In 1916 the Provincial Government led by Premier T.C. Norris and the Ministry of Education led by Dr. R.S. Thornton initiated a new legislation to repeal (remove) the section of the Public Schools Act which permitted bilingual education in schools in Manitoba supported by public funds. The Government claimed that the 1896 amendment went against the 1867 Constitution (The British North America Act Section 93 about Education rights). However, the underlying reason was an unfounded fear, during WW1, that there would be social and labour unrest by the Manitoba immigrants from Europe that the Government could not deal with. The legislature grouped all minority language education rights together and abolished the rights to all minority language teaching. At the same time the Government unanimously approved the School Attendance Act making school attendance compulsory and instruction to be unilingual in English. Thus, the Franco-Manitobans, who had been outraged in 1890 by the social injustice, and who had fought hard for 25 years for their language rights, were faced once again with their rights violated just as they had been in 1890, 26 years before. The French speaking people mobilized and formed L'Association D'education Canadienne Francophone de Manitoba (AECFM). [2]
For close to 50 years this situation persisted in Manitoba until the 1960's when changes happened at the Federal Government level regarding language rights and bilingualism in Canada. In the early 1960's the Liberal Government under Lester B. Pearson (pictured above far right) created a Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963), and on September 9, 1969 the Liberal Government led by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (pictured above second from right) enacted the Official Languages Act giving French and English equal status in the Government of Canada as the official languages of the Federal Government. Unfortunately, the Manitoba Provincial Government refused to overturn its ban on the use of French in their provincial legislature and courts (since 1890) at this time and refused until 1985 when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Manitoba was acting unconstitutionally and made Manitoba translate all of its laws into French. [3]
In response to the Federal Government's push for support of bilingualism in the 1960's, and the strong voice of all Franco-Manitobans in the province, Manitoba revised its Public Schools Act in 1966 and 1970. In 1966, Bill 258 was introduced allowing some French instruction in Public Schools and in 1970, this was amended with Bill 113 that allowed for instruction completely in French throughout the school day for grades up to the 3rd grade and a percentage of the total time for grades 4-12. The Société Franco-Manitobaine (SFM) was created in 1968 to replace AECFM. Today the SFM is the official spokes group of the French speaking (francophone) community in Manitoba. [4]
One of the most significant events in support of French-language rights in Canada happened in 1982 when the Liberal Government led by Pierre Trudeau introduced the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms after a long and arduous road of discussion and negotiation. The Charter was further revised in 1988 to amend some weaknesses that existed before. The 1982 Charter under Section 23 required that provinces and territories make education available in both official languages where numbers warrant this. Thus, Section 23 of the Charter provided a limited right ("where numbers warrant") for children to receive publicly funded primary and secondary-schooling in French and English when they are in a minority situation (i.e. French-language schooling in Manitoba) and was finally a resolution to the social injustice that Manitoba imposed on Franco-Manitobans since 1890. [5]
In 1994 the Franco-Manitobans succeeded in forming the Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine (DSFM) a French language school board that offers French-language education to its students. This right to French language education was gained through Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and after court challenges to establish the rights for separate minority language education in Manitoba. [6]
In 2000 the Supreme Court of Canada made an interpretation of Section 23 and ruled that the purpose of this section is to readdress past injustices and provide an official language minority with equal access to high quality education in its own language in circumstances where community development will be enhanced. [7] Further rulings on Section 23 have been made by the Supreme Court of Canada, to ensure the rights of Franco-Manitobans are upheld under the Charter.
As of 2012, approximately 19,000 of the total number of 181,329 students attending school in Manitoba were enrolled in 103 French Immersion schools and 29 Francais schools. [8]
On the basis of the progress that has been made constitutionally, judicially and within the educational system in Manitoba it can be suggested that the original injustice of 1890 has been resolved to a large extent. However, minority language rights in our Country continue to be an issue that sparks considerable emotional reaction and debate, as it should, based on the injustices of the past and the long road that has been taken by the Francophonie to fight for their rights each and every step of the way.