Initiated at the insistence of anglophone parents, the Saint-Lambert, Quebec experiment with French immersion became the inspiration for parents across the country seeking better FSL learning for their children.
English and French were recognized as the official languages of Parliament and all federal institutions, and the position of Commissioner of Official Languages was established.
Keith Spicer, the first Commissioner of Official Languages, hosted a conference for 28 parents from all 10 provinces who were working within their communities to improve French second language learning. The result was the founding of CPF. Check out the video ...
Founding President Pat Webster announced the formation of CPF and urged the federal government to immediately adopt a charter that would ensure all Canadian children have access to second [official] language instruction.
Representatives of the fledgling organization met with the Secretary of State for Canada to seek funding for its earliest initiatives. (In 1996 many of the responsibilities of the Secretary of State were transferred to the new cabinet position of Minister ...
This original small group of concerned parents who met in Ottawa over 30 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.
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 ...
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 ...