French people in Vancouver
by Claire Hurley
In 1996 La Joie de Vivre is alive and well in Vancouver, in the Coquitlam neighborhood known as Maillardville and in the homes of some 55,000 French-Canadians and another 10,000 French- speaking Canadians from France living in British Columbia.
French-Canadians accompanied both Alexander Mackenzie on his 1793 explorations and Simon Fraser in 1805 and 1808. Historically the French presence in B.C. goes back more than 200 years.
In September, 1860, the Oblate Fathers from France began to concentrate their activities on the vast region of the estuaries of the Fraser River. Father Leon Fouquet, a French theologian who had abandoned a brilliant career as a writer in France to work with the natives in Western Canada, was responsible for the construction of two small churches in New Westminster; Saint- Pierre for the white folk and Saint-Charles for the natives.
In 1865 the Marie-Conception and Mainville Sisters opened a school for girls in New Westminster and in 1866 the Oblate Fathers established permanent headquarters in New Westminster. By 1871, when British Columbia joined Confederation, the Catholic Church and its French way of life were solidly implanted in B.C. In 1886 French churches, schools and hospitals were built in Vancouver and around B.C., and in 1887 the Sisters of Saint-Anne opened Saint- Marie Hospital in New Westminster.
The Fraser River Lumber Company owned by A.D. McRae of Winnipeg and Peter Jansen of Nebraska was responsible for bringing many French-Canadians from Quebec. In 1907 tensions between white and Asian workers had led to anti-Asian riots in Vancouver. In 1908 the lumber firm sent French-Canadian Theodore Thereaux, accompanied by Oblate Father Patrick O’Boyle, to Montreal to recruit workers. In September, 1908, some 500 arrived by train at Little Fraser station at the present site of Blue Mountain Park in Coquitlam.
The vibrant community of Maillardville sprang into being with the arrival of the Quebecois. By 1968 68.8 per cent of the Francophones in B.C. had emigrated from their birthplaces in other Canadian provinces. Banks, retail businesses, churches and schools have prospered over the decades in Maillardville.
In 1996 an exciting project was underway in Coquitlam. Two heritage homes, formerly owned by executives of the Fraser Mills Lumber Company, are the locations for the Place des Arts Society (in Ryan House) and the Coquitlam Heritage Society (in Mackin House). In 1996 an educational centre was under construction with funds raised by the Maillardville Heritage Square Campaign. Plans include a glass link connecting the education centre to Ryan House, an outdoor amphitheatre, the moving of the old railway station and an old caboose to the complex, a logging museum, period gardens, walkways and a bicycle path.
French-speaking people newly arrived in the Greater Vancouver region will find a marvellous informational and cultural centre at La Maison de la Francophonie, at 1551 West 7th Avenue in Vancouver. La Maison is the headquarters for Le Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver, which has a mandate of promoting French language and francophone culture through cultural, community and educational activities. Le Centre, which has gained an important place within the Vancouver community, sees itself not only as a gathering place for Francophones but also as a centre of attraction for exchanges with other Vancouver cultural communities.
Le Centre is a great place to learn about the variety of community services available to help fulfill the diverse needs of Francophones living in the region. There’s a resource centre of services available in French throughout B.C., a “Montreal-style” cafe, outdoor activities and a weekly social gathering on Wednesday evenings. As well the Centre offers language courses in French, English and Spanish, children’s classes, community classes and “Virgule,” a summer day- camp for children six to 12 years of age.
The demand for French-language classes within the public school system increased during the late 1960s and 1970s. As a result L’Ecole Bilingue opened in September, 1973, in a section of Cecil Rhodes School. L’Ecole Bilingue took over the entire school with its French-immersion program and, in 1996, had an enrollment of 350 students in classes from kindergarten to grade seven. Within the Lower Mainland there are a variety of public schools offering bilingual educational programs.
The Saint-Sacrament Church operates Blessed Sacrament French School, a French-immersion program with 215 students from kindergarten to grade seven.
Media serving French-speaking people within the Greater Vancouver area include the weekly newspaper, Le Soleil de Colombie, CBUF-FM radio, CBUFT-TV and RDI (Reseau de l’information) Television. French cuisine is available in many local restaurants although the fare is substantially lighter than tradition would suggest in order to cater to 1990s-style tastes.
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