Legislation French Language Education Francophone School Boards Francophone Curriculum Official Languages Act Assimilation

Since Canada’s confederation in 1867, article 93 of the constitution guarantees provinces the exclusive right to educational matters. Article 33 protects the right to confessional schools.

Since 1896, before the creation of the province of Alberta, the North-West Territories allowed teaching in French for the first two years of schooling. Ordinance 22, which had been passed in 1892, was modified in 1901, to permit the teaching of one French course as well as the teaching of other languages. During the creation of the province, the guarantees of Article 93 of the Constitution, regarding denominational schools were included in the constitution of the province, and article 110 of the North-West Territories remained in effect.

The law proclaiming the creation of the province was published in the two languages, but no mention was made of linguistic rights. French-speaking children had the right to receive the first two years of their schooling in French and only an hour a day in the subsequent years.

In 1964, the situation was pretty much the same. Changes stipulated that francophone children must have two hours of English language courses a day and for the fourth year, and those following, only one hour of French instruction per day.