The French-Canadian Association of Ontario (ACFO) has been the main political voice person for the Franco-Ontarian community in the 20th century. The first chapter (1910-1927) examines the first years of the Association and delves into the pivotal role it played during the debate surrounding Regulation 17, which was designed to prevent French-language schooling in the province. From 1927-1969, the ACFEO actively contributed to the advancement of French (or “bilingual”) schools in Ontario.

From 1969-1982, the Association, now called ACFO, played a key role in the institutional progress of the Franco-Ontarian community, amidst much criticism and accusations made by militants inspired by the counter-culture and participative ideologies of the day. From 1982 to 1992, ACFO redefined itself in order to adapt to an evolving political situation in l’Ontario français, as well as to the fragmentation of its ideology as regional identities took shape to a new ethnocultural reality in the wake of francophone immigration.

The years from 1992 to 2006 were the Association’s last, as it became unable to overcome a legitimacy crisis that had been undermining it since the end of the 1970s. A glimpse into the efforts that went into the identity and political construct of the Ontarian Francophonie throughout the 20th century.

Published in French.

Contributions by: Gratien Allaire, Serge Dupuis, Mariève Forest, Anne Gilbert, Marcel Martel