The Establishment of a French Language School Board in Ottawa
[Français]
The Éditions L’Interligne published in 1998, thanks to grants from the Canadian Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council, a book titled “D’un obstacle à l’autre: vers le Conseil scolaire de langue française » by Odile Gérin.
For Franco-Ontarians, 1997 marked the end of decades of battle for the governance of French schools. The book “D’un obstacle à l’autre: vers le conseil scolaire de langue française » summarizes in many details the more than 13 year battle (1975-1988) initiated by a small group of Franco-Ontarians in Ottawa-Carleton for the establishment of their own French school board. In the last chapter, the author reports on similar developments in other Ontario regions and other provinces. The Ottawa Franco-Ontarians’ efforts were rewarded in 1988 by the creation of the "Conseil scolaire de langue française d’Ottawa-Carleton" and by the creation, in December 1997, of twelve French school boards across the province of Ontario. Francophone communities in other provinces also managed to eventually get their school boards.
This book helps all Canadians better understand the issues involved in French schools governance and is a very good example of how ordinary citizens with determination, tenacity and patience, can exercise power in our society.
The author, Odile Gérin, has been involved in the battle in Ottawa-Carleton from the very beginning to the end and worked in various capacities with school boards in Ottawa and Ontario. By writing this book, she wanted to make sure that this important part of Ontario and Canadian history will be available for future generations.
Last Update : 2007-05-22
