Every March, we celebrate Francophonie Month. Here in Canada, 22% of the population speaks French as their first official language, over 10 million Canadians speak enough French to carry on a conversation, and we all learn at least some French at school (well, we have French classes in school, how much we learn in those classes is a different question). Even so, French is a minority language in most of Canada, and the modernized Official Languages Act (2023) includes commitments for the Government of Canada to protect and promote the French language, including in Quebec.[1]

For our part, Vaughan Public Libraries reaffirms the place of French language collections and services as essential and core library services. French is one of Canada’s official languages and Ontario is the home of the largest number of francophones outside Québec in the country. Within its borders, the City of Vaughan has over a dozen French Immersion schools, three French language schools, and two francophone school boards.