The Alberta government celebrated the one-year anniversary of the province's French policy June 14, which officially gave provincial support for enhancing and maintaining the French language within Alberta.
In a June 14 statement, Culture and Tourism Minister Ricardo Miranda said that since then, the government has made significant strides in recognizing and supporting's Alberta's Francophonie.
"It includes officially and permanently proclaiming March as Alberta Francophonie Month," Miranda said in the release. "It also raises the Franco-Albertan flag as a Symbol of Distinction under the Emblems of Alberta Act."
On June 21, the government appointed a 10-member Francophonie advisory council. In a press release, the government said it would be responsible for advising the minister responsible for the Francophone Secretariat as the province sets priorities and implements more of its French policy.
Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA Colin Piquette said that Francophone culture has come a long ways since his father, Leo Piquette, attempted to ask a question in legislature in French when he was the MLA for Athabasca-Lac La Biche in 1987.
"At the time, it caused a major controversy, with opponents thinking he was trying to bring in compulsory bilingualism within the legislature," Piquette said. "But he was really practicing his legal right under section 10 of the Northwest Territories Act, which allowed French to be spoken in the Alberta and Saskatchewan legislatures. In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada even confirmed that. When I more recently spoke French in the legislature, it was not a big deal at all."
Piquette said the province has become more inclusive and pragmatic in terms of understanding its historical obligations.
"Alberta now has one of the fastest growing francophone communities in the country," he said. "People moving to the province are bringing a lot of skills, knowledge, and talent. Having that level of respect for the French language and culture is definitely more of a boon for us than a hindrance."
He added with the loss of the language among the francophone population over the years, it's great to see that it's starting to come back in full force again.
"My French, unfortunately, could be a lot better than it is," Piquette continued. "However, my eldest son speaks the language fluently. Situations like this shows things bode well for the language."
Local language education
Nathalie Ulliac, the principal of École Beausejour in Plamondon, said the facility continues to see a steady stream of students register each year.
"We still maintain about the same number of students that we have had for lots of years," Ulliac said. "We usually have between 140-150 students, and that has been quite regular for a long time now."
Ulliac said it shows the French language continues to be alive and well within the Plamondon community.
"We continue to have a good team of teachers at the school, and that's very important," she said. "Having professionals who are passionate about their work and are willing to get better with what they do everyday is the main goal at École Beausejour."
In Aspen View Public School Division, superintendent Mark Francis said enrolment in French immersion continues to be strong every year.
"Our numbers are pretty steady," Francis said. "In the 2010-11 school year, we had 247 students in French immersion, and in the 2017-18 school year, we had 251, so the numbers are really consistent."
Francis added that both of his children also attend French immersion in Athabasca.
"The program within our division is a very strong program, and it is very beneficial on so many levels," Francis said. "Having a second language helps develop a child's brain development, and that's what we are trying to do for our students."
The Lusson family set aside land in 1979 in the Clyde area to put together a camp for francophone children. After 11 years, they were able to open Le Centre de Plein Air Lusson, a camp that still operates today.
"The camp continues to attract children starting at age eight from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan," Phillippe Lusson said.
Lusson still remembers how his dad, Henri, wanted to send his kids to an all-French Catholic school in the Vimy area.
"The school division in Westlock fought against my dad on this for two years," he said. "Starting in 1963, my dad ended up driving my older sister to the school in Vimy for two years before the division finally gave in, and provided a bus service from Clyde to Vimy by the time I started going there."
But today, Lusson said he is pleased to see the French language continuing to thrive in Alberta.
"Children are like sponges in terms of learning," he said. "If they start at an early age, they can learn two, or sometimes, three different languages. It's great to see."
