Franco-Manitoban
Encyclopedia
Franco-Manitobans are a community of French Canadian
s and other French
-speaking people living in Manitoba
. Most Franco-Manitobans have roots in Quebec
. However, many are of Métis
and Belgian
ancestry while others have ancestors that came directly from France, its former colonies and other francophone countries throughout the world (Congo
, Laos
, Vietnam
, and Tunisia
among others). Many have partial English
, Scottish
, Irish
, Ukrainian
and German
/ Mennonite
ancestry through inter-marriages. The community is centred primarily in Saint Boniface
, an area of Winnipeg
, although there are smaller numbers of Franco-Manitobans living throughout the province as well.
Notable Franco-Manitobans include Métis nationalist Louis Riel
, former Manitoba Premier Marc-Amable Girard
, world-renowned writer Gabrielle Roy
, international singer-songwriter Daniel Lavoie
, current federal Member of Parliament Kevin Lamoureux
, former federal Members of Parliament Ronald Duhamel, Raymond Simard
and Robert Bockstael
, former provincial MLA
s Jean Allard
, Albert Préfontaine
, Edmond Préfontaine
, Neil Gaudry
and Laurent Desjardins
, current member of the Canadian Senate Maria Chaput
, professional hockey players Jonathan Toews
and Travis Hamonic
, and country singer Lucille Starr
.
The province's primary French language post-secondary educational institution is le Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface
located in Saint Boniface.
Although 90% of the Franco-Manitoban community lives in the Greater Winnipeg area, rural Franco-Manitoban centres do exist in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, St. Claude, St. Pierre-Jolys, Ste. Anne, Ste. Rose du Lac, La Broquerie
, Lorette
, St. Laurent, Somerset
, and St-Lazare.
(Première Chaîne), CKSB-FM
(Espace musique
) and CBWFT
(SRC Television
), the community radio station CKXL
and the weekly newspaper La Liberté.
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
s and other French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-speaking people living in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. Most Franco-Manitobans have roots in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. However, many are of Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
ancestry while others have ancestors that came directly from France, its former colonies and other francophone countries throughout the world (Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
among others). Many have partial English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
/ Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
ancestry through inter-marriages. The community is centred primarily in Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface, Manitoba
Saint Boniface is a city ward of Winnipeg, home to much of the Franco-Manitoban community. It features such landmarks as the Cathédrale de Saint Boniface , Boulevard Provencher, the Provencher Bridge, Esplanade Riel, St. Boniface Hospital, the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and the Royal...
, an area of Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, although there are smaller numbers of Franco-Manitobans living throughout the province as well.
Notable Franco-Manitobans include Métis nationalist Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
, former Manitoba Premier Marc-Amable Girard
Marc-Amable Girard
Marc-Amable Girard was the second Premier of the Western Canadian province of Manitoba, and the first Franco-Manitoban to hold that post. The Canadian Parliamentary Guide lists Girard as having been Premier from 1871 to 1872, but he did not have this title at the time and was not the government...
, world-renowned writer Gabrielle Roy
Gabrielle Roy
Gabrielle Roy, CC, FRSC was a French Canadian author.- Biography :Born in Saint Boniface , Manitoba, Roy was educated at Saint Joseph's Academy...
, international singer-songwriter Daniel Lavoie
Daniel Lavoie
Daniel Lavoie is a Canadian singer–songwriter.Lavoie was born in Dunrea, Manitoba, Canada. His mother was a musician and he learned to play piano at a young age...
, current federal Member of Parliament Kevin Lamoureux
Kevin Lamoureux
Kevin Lamoureux, MP is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. On November 29, 2010, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the constituency of Winnipeg North in a by-election. He was re-elected during the 2011 election by 44 votes...
, former federal Members of Parliament Ronald Duhamel, Raymond Simard
Raymond Simard
Raymond Simard, PC is a politician from Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2002 to 2008, representing the riding of Saint Boniface for the Liberal Party of Canada....
and Robert Bockstael
Robert Bockstael
Robert Theodore Bockstael was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a businessman by career....
, former provincial MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
s Jean Allard
Jean René Allard
Jean René Allard is a former politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1969 as a New Democrat, but subsequently left to sit as an Independent MLA....
, Albert Préfontaine
Albert Prefontaine
Albert Préfontaine was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as leader of the Manitoba Conservatives in the late 1910s, and was subsequently a member of the United Farmers of Manitoba....
, Edmond Préfontaine
Edmond Prefontaine
Edmond Préfontaine was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Liberal-Progressive from 1935 to 1962, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Douglas L. Campbell...
, Neil Gaudry
Neil Gaudry
Neil Gaudry was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 until his death, sitting as a Liberal....
and Laurent Desjardins
Laurent Desjardins
Laurent Desjardins is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Manitoba legislature for most of the period from 1959 to 1988, and was a cabinet minister under New Democratic Premiers Edward Schreyer and Howard Pawley.Desjardins was educated at St. Boniface College, St...
, current member of the Canadian Senate Maria Chaput
Maria Chaput
Maria Chaput is a current member of the Canadian Senate representing the Senatorial Division of Manitoba. She is the first franco-Manitoban woman to be appointed to the upper house of the Parliament of Canada.-External links:* *...
, professional hockey players Jonathan Toews
Jonathan Toews
Jonathan Bryan Toews is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who plays for and is captain of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League . He is currently the youngest captain in the NHL, having been appointed in 2008....
and Travis Hamonic
Travis Hamonic
Travis Hamonic is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League...
, and country singer Lucille Starr
Lucille Starr
Lucille Starr is a Franco-Manitoban / British Columbian singer, songwriter, and yodeler best known for her 1964 hit single, "Quand Le Soleil Dit Bonjour Aux Montagnes" .-Biography:...
.
The province's primary French language post-secondary educational institution is le Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface
Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface
The Université de Saint-Boniface, or USB, is a university college affiliated with the University of Manitoba and located in the Saint Boniface district of Winnipeg, Manitoba , Canada....
located in Saint Boniface.
Although 90% of the Franco-Manitoban community lives in the Greater Winnipeg area, rural Franco-Manitoban centres do exist in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, St. Claude, St. Pierre-Jolys, Ste. Anne, Ste. Rose du Lac, La Broquerie
La Broquerie, Manitoba
La Broquerie is an unincorporated urban community in Manitoba. It is located approximately 70 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, at the confluence of highways 210, 302 and 52...
, Lorette
Lorette, Manitoba
Lorette is a community in the Rural Municipality of Taché, in the province of Manitoba, Canada.- History :Lorette was founded as a French settlement along the Seine River. By 1878, Lorette was already appearing on Manitoba maps.- Transportation:...
, St. Laurent, Somerset
Somerset, Manitoba
Somerset is a village in south-central Manitoba, Canada. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Lorne. The village had a 2006 census population of 432 inhabitants, a decline of 5.88% from 459 during the 2001 census.-External links:*...
, and St-Lazare.
Media
The Franco-Manitoban community is served by Radio-Canada's CKSBCKSB (AM)
CKSB is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1050 AM and 90.5 FM in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is an affiliate of Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne network.-History:...
(Première Chaîne), CKSB-FM
CKSB-FM
CKSB-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 89.9 FM in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is an affiliate of Radio-Canada's Espace musique network. The station launched in 2001....
(Espace musique
Espace musique
Espace musique is the French-language music radio service of Canada's national public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation...
) and CBWFT
CBWFT
CBWFT is Radio-Canada's French language television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is broadcast locally on channel 3 cable 10, and on Bell TV channel 118.-History:...
(SRC Television
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
), the community radio station CKXL
CKXL-FM
CKXL-FM is a community owned French-language radio station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that broadcasts on the FM band at a frequency of 91.1 FM. The station's studio is located in the St...
and the weekly newspaper La Liberté.
See also
- French CanadianFrench CanadianFrench Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
- Franco-AlbertanFranco-AlbertanThe Franco-Albertans are an extended community of French Canadians or French-speaking people living in Alberta. They are centred in the Bonnie Doon area of Edmonton, and there are tens of thousands of Franco-Albertans living in communities such as Legal north of Edmonton, Bonnyville, Plamondon, and...
, Franco-ColumbianFranco-ColumbianFranco-Columbians or Franco-Colombiens are French Canadians or French speaking Canadians living in the Canadian province of British Columbia....
, Franco-OntarianFranco-OntarianFranco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....
, FransaskoisFransaskoisFransaskois are francophones or French Canadians living in the Prairie province of Saskatchewan. The term franco-saskatchewanian may also be used on occasion, although in practice it is rare due to its length and unwieldiness.-Population:...
, Franco-TénoisFranco-TenoisFranco-Ténois, originating from the acronym TNO of the French term for the Northwest Territories of Canada refers to the widespread community of francophones that reside in the Northwest Territories....
External links
- Franco-manitobain.org (Exists, but is not active)