Regulation 17

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Regulation 17 (French: Règlement 17) was a regulation of the Ontario Ministry of Education, issued in July 1912 by the Conservative government of premier Sir James P. Whitney. It restricted the use of French as a language of instruction after the first year of school and banned the teaching of French after the fourth year of school.

French Canada reacted with outrage. Quebec journalist Henri Bourassa denounced the "Prussians of Ontario" (see French-Prussian enmity). It was strongly opposed by Franco-Ontarians, particularly in the national capital of Ottawa where the École Guigues was at the centre of the controversy. In 1915, the provincial government of Sir William Hearst replaced Ottawa's elected separate school board with a government-appointed commission. After years of litigation from ACFÉO, the directive was never fully implemented.

The regulation was eventually repealed in 1927 by the government of Howard Ferguson. Ferguson was an opponent of bilingualism, but repealed the law because he needed to form a political alliance with Quebec premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau against the federal government. The Conservative government reluctantly recognized bilingual schools, but the directive worsened relations between Ontario and Quebec for many years and is still keenly remembered by the French-speaking minority of Ontario.

Despite the repeal of Regulation 17, however, French language schools in Ontario were not officially recognized under the provincial Education Act until 1968.

A historical plaque in Ottawa commemorates the role of the École Guigues.