Fransaskois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fransaskois are francophones or French Canadians living in the Prairie province of Saskatchewan. The term franco-saskatchewanian may also be used on occasion, although in practice it is rare.
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[edit] Population
French-speakers represent about 2% of the population of Saskatchewan, and like the province itself natural increase and net emigration nearly balance one another out. Fransaskois and Fransaskoises are chiefly found in large cities such as Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw. However, they form a plurality or majority in small towns like Gravelbourg, Albertville, Duck Lake, Ponteix, Zenon Park, and Bellegarde.
[edit] Rights
The courts recently recognized French-language educational rights straight through to the end of high school. Though there were few all-French schools in 1969, a number of schools were given permission to teach in French. In 1995, the legal battles ended with Saskatchewan's Francophones winning the right to manage their own schools. The "Division Scolaire Francophone no. 310" operates 12 schools and offers full range of services in French. In 1918, in the southern Saskatchewan town of Gravelbourg, Monseigneur O. E. Mathieu founded a private-Catholic school named Collège Mathieu. Women were allowed to attend Collège Mathieu in 1970. It remained in operation as Western Canada's only residential French language institution until spring 2003. As a result of long political battle with the "Division Scolaire Francophone" and due the declining population of students, College Mathieu joined the D.S.F. and is now know as L'école Sécondaire Collège Mathieu.
[edit] Culture
Despite their numbers, Fransaskois celebrate their vibrant culture regularly. Folk arts, visual arts, fine arts and performance arts all feature prominently in their festivals. The most famous Fransaskoise was Jeanne Sauvé, born in Prud'homme. She was a Liberal MP, Cabinet minister, Speaker of the House of Commons and ultimately Governor General of Canada.
In the arts, notable Fransaskois include the folk band Hart-Rouge and children's entertainer Carmen Campagne (both from the small town of Willow Bunch) and the band Poly-Esther, who have been present on the Canadian stage.
In terms of theatre, there is a French language professional theatre company called La Troupe du Jour, based in Saskatoon and founded in 1987.
