The 17th Amendment ( French Règlement 17 , English Regulation 17 ) is a law against the use of the French language in the educational system of the province of Ontario , published in 1912 by the conservative government of James Whitney . The law prohibited the use of the French language as the primary means of teaching after grade 1, and generally as a subject after grade 4. The Ontario Francophone Assembly has protested this law, which in fact never entered into force and was completely repealed by 1927 . Nevertheless, over the 15 years of implementation in Ontario, a whole generation of francophones who have actually lost their native language have been Englishized . The law had disastrous consequences for the French-speaking population of the province. In the city of Windsor alone, the share of francophones fell from 30% in 1912 to 13% in 1941 [1] .
Background and Consequences
Franco-Ontars , like the French in general, appeared in Ontario a long time ago - at the end of the 17th century, rising up the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers, but they could not populate this harsh territory, although in neighboring Quebec there is a fairly large permanent French-speaking the population managed to form. Loyalists and other British and then international settlers settled in Ontario at the end of the 18th century. Franco-Canadians appeared in Ontario in large numbers at the end of the 19th century as wage laborers in wood processing plants. Being Catholics and having high natural growth, they often provoked negative reactions among the local Protestant English-speaking population.
Notes
- ↑ Le maire de Windsor et le français (link not available)
See also
- Language Question in Manitoba
- French Charter
- Tubon Law