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In 1977, Keith Spicer was serving as Canada’s first-ever Commissioner of Official Languages. Interested in the bilingualism of Canada’s youth, he met with groups of parents across Canada who wanted their children to learn French as a second language (FSL) but who ran into roadblocks at the local school boards.
To get the ball rolling, Mr. Spicer offered to find some seed money—enough to organize a national conference of like-minded parents. The result was an event called “Parents’ Conference on French Language and Exchange Opportunities,” which took place in Ottawa in March of 1977. It was during this weekend-long conference that Canadian Parents for French was officially founded as a volunteer-based advocacy group, a collective of parents who wanted to ensure that children would have the opportunity to become bilingual in the Canadian school system.
The first conference determined a few things that are fundamental to the history of CPF. The group outlined its goals and elected its first National Board of Directors, led by inaugural president Pat Webster of Ontario. Her fellow directors were Judith Madley (British Columbia), David Sanders (Prairie Region), Elizabeth Annesley (Quebec), and Mary Lou Morrison (Atlantic Region).
This original small group of concerned parents who met in Ottawa over 40 years ago has evolved into a proactive national network with 12 Branches and Offices and some 150 Chapters in communities coast to coast to coast.
CPF Milestones
Come with us on a journey through time! Discover the beginnings of Canadian Parents for French, learn about our leading accomplishments over the last 40+ years, and follow the winding road of our quest to change the face of education in Canada.
Timeline
2023
Canadian Parents for French Network CEO, Nicole Thibault, Receives Knighthood in the Ordre des Palmes académiques
Ottawa, March 29, 2023 — Canadian Parents for French Network CEO, Nicole Thibault’s longstanding contributions to the advancement of French as a second language education in Canada has been recognized with her investiture as a Knight (Chevalier) in the Ordre […]
Canadian Parents for French Celebrates the International Day of La Francophonie
Ottawa, March 20, 2023 — Canadian Parents for French (CPF) joins Francophones and Francophiles across Canada in celebrating the French language, its richness, history and culture. On this special day, CPF also acknowledges its place as one of Canada’s two […]
Canadian Parents for French Applauds the Decision of the Government of New Brunswick to Maintain French Immersion
Ottawa, February 17, 2023 — Canadian Parents for French is thrilled to learn that the government of New Brunswick is abandoning its plan to eliminate French immersion (FI) this fall. This decision is a step in the right direction in […]
CANADIAN PARENTS FOR FRENCH Recipient of ‘Bilingual Ottawa’ Launches “Finding French Story and Learning Time” Project
Ottawa, January 27, 2023—Today, on Family Literacy Day, Canadian Parents for French begins a series of bilingual family story and learning time sessions across Ottawa in partnership with local Ottawa library branches, family resource centres and community hubs within local […]
Canadian Parents for French Encouraging Youth to Learn French Through Poetry – O’Poésie Contest 2023 closing soon!
The French as a Second Language contest, which allows students from grades 1 to 12 to practise and expand their French language skills through poetry, runs until February 9th.
2022
Canadian Parents for French Releases French as a Second Language Education Enrolment Statistics 2020-2021
Ottawa, December 1st, 2022 — Canadian Parents for French is releasing the French as a Second Language Enrolment Statistics for the 2020-2021 school year. This yearly publication provides a quick analysis of national trends of enrolment in FSL programs by […]
Support the Mary Joyce Booth Fund on Giving Tuesday – November 29th, 2022
Giving Tuesday is an international day of giving that follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday. All funds raised support the Mary Joyce Booth Fund providing $1,000 grants to CPF Branches for more French youth opportunities.
Canadian Parents for French Supports FCFA’s Declaration, Urging MPs to Adopt Bill C-13 to Modernize the Official Languages Act
Canadian Parents for French welcomes the statement made by the Féderation des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA) urging Members of Parliament to adopt Bill C-13.
Save French in New Brunswick
In the Fall of 2022, the Government of New Brunswick is consulting New Brunswickers on ways to improve the French Immersion and French Second Language programs in the province. CPF NB is concerned with their approach and limited details and […]
Canadian Parents for French Recognizes Teachers’ Leadership in Transforming Education
Ottawa, October 5, 2022 — Canadian Parents for French would like to acknowledge and thank teachers across Canada as we observe World Teachers’ Day 2022. This year’s theme as co-convened by UNESCO, UNICEF, Education International and the International Labour Organization […]
Come with us on a journey through time! Discover the beginnings of Canadian Parents for French, learn about our leading accomplishments over the last 40+ years, and follow the winding road of our quest to change the face of education in Canada
CPF recognizes individuals who have rendered significant service to the organization and who have demonstrated leadership in the advancement of French second language education.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW 2020 AWARD RECIPIENTS AND TO NOMINATE FOR 2022 AWARDS.
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