Free-Ontarian

The term Free-Ontarian is used to indicate the French-speaking S which live in the Canadian province of the Ontario. According to the census of 2001, there is: 548940 French-speaking people in Ontario (approximately 40 % of them use English as language of use) what constitutes more 4,8 % of the Ontarian population (but 3 % if one considers the language of use). The Free-Ontarians represent of absolute number the greatest community of French-speaking people of the Canada after the Quebec and the greatest linguistic minority in Ontario. Expressed as a percentage, however, New Brunswick counts more French-speaking people (33 %) that Ontario.

The population free-Ontarian is concentrated mainly in the east of the province (Is of Ontario) (41,3 % -: 226705 French-speaking people) with Ottawa, Cornwall like in several small rural communities, of which the plain Counties of Prescott and Russell. In the north of Ontario (25,2 % -: 138585), the Free-Ontarians live especially in the Grand Sudbury, with Timmins and in a considerable number of small towns like Hearst or Kapuskasing. Other communities of the province have important French-speaking populations, such Toronto, Windsor, Penetanguishene and Welland.

Ottawa, with: 128620 French-speaking people, is the city with the highest number inhabitants free-Ontarians. With 29 %, the Large Sudbury with the greatest proportion of Free-Ontarians in the principal cities of the Ontario. But for a big number of smaller Ontarian municipalities, the proportion of French-speaking people is majority. Some examples are Hearst (the Ontarian city which expressed as a percentage counts the most French-speaking people, 96 %), Kapuskasing, West Nipissing, St-Charles, Clarence-Rockland, Spray, Champlain and Hawkesbury.

Origins of the term

The term Free-Ontarian itself is very recent. After the Quiet revolution with the Quebec, it was obvious that the French-speaking people outside this last (except very particular for the Acadie) could not be simply any more called French Canadian. Each community then gathered to choose a new term describing their new reality. In Ontario, it is the Free-Ontarian term which took the top on the term ontarois . Although this term has existed for a few decades, it is more often the French-speaking generation youngest which uses the term of free-Ontarian to indicate their identity. The older generations still use the term of French Canadian.

Native tongue and language of use

On: 500000 Free-Ontarians, i.e. inhabitants of Ontario having French like native tongue, close to 38 % do not have French like language of use (Census 2001), but use English as principal language rather, which brings back the number of effective French-speaking people (language of use) to only: 350000 people.

In other words, this high percentage (38 %) is a linguistic indicator of Assimilation.

The identity free-Ontarian

The Free-Ontarian term has two dependant interpretations but which do not have the same significance. First refers to the French-speaking people of Ontario, it does not matter the place where they were born. Second refers to the French Canadians of Ontario, it does not matter their language.

In the popular use, they are Canadian-French born in Ontario and using French, or who is of French native tongue. For examples:

Even if Louise Charron were the first Free-Ontarian born in Ontario to be sat at the Supreme court of Canada, it was preceded there by a French-speaking judge by Ontario, Louise Arbor. Even if the latter gained its reputation of lawyer and judge in Ontario, it remains regarded as a Québécois . Thus the two judges were not entitled to the title of “first Free-Ontarian at the Supreme court”. The use wants that one exclusively grants this title to Louise Charron, free-Ontarian of stock and Canadian-Frenchwoman.

Explicitly, two of the Rock'n'roll most popular stars of Ontario, Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette, are free-Ontarians by the second definition but not by the first, since they were born parents free-Ontarians but living and working especially in English language. Because of their language, they are excluded well that they are Canadian-French.

the preceding Prime Minister for Canada, Paul Martin, was born with Windsor from a father free-Ontarian and an anglophone mother. The majority of the Canadians regard it nevertheless as Québécois, since its political career was especially led to Montreal and that Quebec is its province of adoption.

The identity free-Ontarian is divided into more than three vague histories of immigration. The first took place at the 18th century, coming especially from France in the area of Windsor and Strait, during the French mode. The second wave came from the Quebec, with XIXe and 20th century, towards North and Is of Ontario. For this period, Ontario was especially British, and this wave of immigrants founded mainly its own villages or came to enlarge the rows of already existing French-speaking communities. The third wave is more recent. Its origin is Quebec or other places of the French-speaking world: Haiti, Europe, etc These immigrants settled in the major cities of Ontario. These newcomer more preserved their culture of origin (Québécois, Haitian, etc) the Free-Ontarians of today can thus have one or more bonds with these three waves

Government

In spite of the fact that Ontario is not officially a bilingual province, the government of Ontario created the Loi on the services in French in 1986. It indicated 23 places in the province where the provincial ministries and the agencies were to provide, locally, at least one of the services in French language. A place is indicated bilingual when it represents at least 5000 people or 10% of the total of the population of a community.

The Loi on the French services only applies for the provincial services. It does not oblige a municipality to offer bilingual services to its population, such initiatives being left with the discretion of each municipality.

Education

See the detailed article: French education in Ontario

In the past, the government of the Ontario gave only very few supports at its French-speaking community, being able to be openly hostile even there. The Payment 17, applied in 1912 by the Ontarian government, prohibited the use of French in the schools of the province. This payment was forsaken thereafter. Nowadays, Ontario has eight school councils of French language catholics, and four public councils of French language. Each council has a territory much more extended than an equivalent council of English language, since the population free-Ontarian is dispersed in a heterogeneous way on large territories. For example, the school Council of district of Center-South-West (CSDCSO) manages a territory of a surface equivalent to that of half of Nova Scotia.

A notable characteristic marks finally education in French Ontario: the school free-Ontarian is controlled by Catholicism in a proportion of almost 90 % of its customers. As comparison the Québécois school is entirely laic, which distinguishes and separates French Ontario from the province from Quebec. This quasi-monopoly of Catholicism on its system of education gives an exclusive character on the identity of French Ontario, inseparable from the ethnos group of stock Canadian-Frenchwoman and birth of the person in Ontario.

Culture and media

The organization principal of the community free-Ontarian is the AFO, a new assembly since 2006, which is useful like point of rallying of the community free-Ontarian. An Internet site gathers information and French-speaking activities of 16 areas of Ontario: http://francoService.info

Flag free-Ontarian

See the detailed article Flag free-Ontarian

Language

The French language is present in Ontario since nearly 370 years. The modern Dialect free-Ontarian on the other hand, is mainly resulting from the Québécois, except for some expressions and pronunciations. Being given the province is mainly anglophone, the current language is characterized by the use of several Joual different isms, regionalisms and Anglicisms. Put aside French spoken by the intellectual elite about Ottawa and the French-speaking people about recent installation, the popular free-Ontarian is often tight for the people come from the outside of the province.

The Free-Ontarians most educated or coming from certain homogeneous French-speaking villages as for the language speak also standard French and can use it. The great majority of them is bilingual and can communicate, often as a practitioner the alternation of code, also in English, since it is the majority language in the province.

Finally the Common Law , system of English right which governs Ontario, contrary to the civil law of French inspiration which governs the neighbouring province of Quebec, seriously accentuates the linguistic schism and the French-speaking schism of identity between the Free-Ontarians and the Inhabitants of Quebec.

Newspapers

Ontario has a French-speaking daily, the newspaper the Right of Ottawa. There are 17 other Ontarian communities which have a French-speaking weekly magazine. Among the principal ones, one finds the Express train in Toronto, the Traveller of Sudbury, the Action of London-Sarnia, the Rampart of the area of Windsor and the Newspaper of Cornwall in the Ontarian East.

Television

Television most directly related to the Free-Ontarians is surely the chain TFO, which public and is managed by the government of Ontario. TFO has transmitters in 18 communities of the province, but is available only on the cable. In 2003, TFO produced its first television serial, Francœur , first television serial free-Ontarian. TFO also diffuses with the New Brunswick and the Quebec.

The company Radio-Canada has three affiliated stations in Ontario: CBOFT in Ottawa, CBLFT in Toronto and CBEFT in Windsor. These stations diffuse through the province and proposes the same programming, except for the local news. Station CBOFT of Ottawa-Gatineau deals with all the new Ontarians.

VAT, TV5 and RDI is available on all the Ontarian cable networks and the stations are elected by CRTC to be diffused by all the Canadian companies of cable. When there is a request sufficient for other French stations, the companies of cable can also offer TQS, MusiquePlus and RDS with their population. These stations have only one discrétionnaire statute outside Quebec and of New Brunswick.

Radio

As regards the radio, the community free-Ontarian is been used mainly by the service of radio as Radio-Canada, the First Chain . The radio stations are located at Ottawa, Toronto and Sudbury and diffuse in all in the province. Space Music , the cultural chain of Radio-Canada, diffuses only with Ottawa, Toronto, Sudbury, Windsor and Paris.

There exists also much of radio stations with nonlucrative goal in several communities. Among those, CFRH with Penetanguishene, CINN with Hearst, CKGN with Kapuskasing, CHOD with Cornwall, CFDN with North Bay and CHOQ with Toronto.

Film

Thanks to its proximity with Gatineau, Ottawa is the only place of the province which has a regular access to films of French language. On the other hand, Cinéfest in Sudbury and the International film festival of Toronto include French programming in their festivities. Sometimes the smaller communities have possibilities of seeing Québécois or French films. The French-speaking films are also available on TFO and Radio-Canada.

Theater and music

Eight professional companies of theater offer theatrical productions in French, including 4 companies in Ottawa (Theater of Trillium, Théâtre of Old woman 17, Vox Théâtre and the Theater the Catapult), to Sudbury (Theater of New-Ontario) and three in Toronto (Theater Corpus, Théâtre the Tangent and French Theater of Toronto). There exists also much of Community theaters and school theaters. The theatrical medium is supported by Théâtre Action, an organization carries word for the theater free-Ontarian in the school, Community and professional sectors.

The annual festivals of music include the Night on the pond in Sudbury and the Festival Free-Ontarian. The musical personalities free-Ontarians are, inter alia, Robert Paquette, Marcel Aymar, In short, Brew-Comrade, CANO, Swing and Two Seasons. The musical medium free-Ontarian is supported by the APCM, organization carries word of the professionals of the song and the music.

Literature

Since the beginning of the years 1970, an autonomous literature developed in French Ontario. Ontario has seven French-speaking publishers, of which the Speech in Sudbury and Editions Nordir in Ottawa.

Among the great writers free-Ontarians are Lola Lemire Tostevin, Daniel Poliquin, Doric Germain, Robert Dickson, Jean-Marc Dalpé, François Paré, Gaston Tremblay, Michel Bock and Hédi Bouraoui.

Policy

Towards the end of the year 1980, several cities of Ontario - in particular that of Sault Co.-Marie - were persuaded by the Alliance for safeguarding of English in Canada to declare English unilingual city

The October 19th 2004, a lawyer of Toronto disputed a fine of parking because the city had not posted the bilingual panels in agreement with the Loi on the French services. The town of Toronto should make call of the decision.

Health

See the hospital Montfort

Personalities free-Ontarians

Mauril Bélanger, appointed federal
Napoleon Antoine Belcourt, president of the House of Commons (1904-1905)
German Doric, writer
Jean Ethier Blais, journalist and writer
Gift Boudria, former federal deputy and former minister
Véronic DiCaire, popular singer
the Twin Dionne
Gilles Bison, member of the legislature of Ontario
Claude Julien, trainer of LNH for the Devils of the New Jersey
Gisele Lalonde, old mairess of Basket maker and president of S.O.S Montfort
Simon Lalande, young leader Free-Ontarian, first president of the AFO
Diane Marleau, appointed federal and old Minister for Health
Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Better Canada
Madeleine, Minister for the government of Ontario
Andre Paiement, musician and Canadian type-setter
Gilbert Relative, president of the House of Commons (1994-2001)
Robert Parcels up, Musicien and type-setter
Jean Poirier, politician provincial
Denise Robert, producing of cinema
Chantal Hébert, journalist
Benoit Pouliot, hockey player
Damien Robitaille, musician
Vincent Pear tree, actor and improviser
Martin Laporte, humorous writer, pedagog, large hair
Anne-Marie Fournier, young auteure of novels youth.

References

See too

Internal bonds

the crisis of the hospital Montfort
Flag free-Ontarian
ACFO
Payment 17
Direction Ontario, a company of tourist promotion French-speaking in Ontario

External bonds

Association of auteures and authors of French Ontario
Association Canadian-Frenchwoman of Ontario
History of the school system free-Ontarian (until 1970)
Which means, today, French-speaking being in Ontario? , The express train, March 29th, 2005
TaGueule! - Discussion forum and media independent for French-speaking person out-Quebec
(FESFO) Federation of youth free-Ontarian
Canadian Francophonies, Cultural identities - Ontario
free-Ontarians and the language verniculaire: a qualitative research

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