A small French-language school makes itself heard in Canada’s North

by Émilie Herdes, Whitehorse, Yukon

People are often surprised to learn that there is a Francophone community in the Yukon. Yet the Franco-Yukon community, which counts some 1,165 Francophones (3.9% of Yukon’s total population¹), is thriving.

The Francophone community is made visible by its presence and its contribution. At the Centre de la francophonie, for example, a wide variety of French-language services and resources are available. The Franco-Yukon community also publishes its own newspaper, L’Aurore boréale, twice a month. There are many recreational options too. Every summer, during the Festival du solstice et de la Saint-Jean Baptiste, the community gathers to celebrate to the music of Franco-Canadian artists. And in terms of education, Émilie-Tremblay School offers instruction in French to the territory’s young Francophones.

Émilie-Tremblay School is the only French-language school in the Yukon. Founded in 1984, the school was named after one of the first women to cross the Chilkoot Pass, which became famous after the Klondike Gold Rush (1897–1898). This pioneer of Yukon’s Francophonie was originally from Saint-Joseph-d’Alma, in Quebec.

In its early days, in the basement of Whitehorse Elementary School, Émilie-Tremblay had 36 students divided into two classes. Back then, there were no high school courses offered. But as the territory’s Francophone population increased, its needs changed and the school followed suit. A quarter of a century later, the school is firmly rooted in the community and its own facilities opened in 1996. The school now has over 150 students from pre-school to Grade 12. Over the years, the school has repeatedly demonstrated its resilience and its ability to adapt to the growing and changing needs of the vibrant Franco-Yukon community.

At Émilie-Tremblay, young people receive a broad and diverse education, from communicating in both official languages to an introduction to French-speaking cultures from around the world. The theatre company Les Voyageurs and the folk dance group Les souliers dansants allow young people to learn about Franco-Canadian culture in an enjoyable way. The dynamic nature of Émilie-Tremblay’s school programs is unequivocal. Whether they are participating in camping trips in the area, exchanges to France or humanitarian work in Bolivia, young people are always encouraged to experience new things in French and to view the world with an open mind.

In sum, this little school in Canada’s North, with all its charm and character, is a pillar of the Franco-Yukon community.

Credit

Credit: Émilie-Tremblay School

1. Source: Statistics Canada. 2007. Profile of Language, Immigration, Citizenship, Mobility and Migration for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions (2003 Representation Order), Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 94-577-X2006007, Ottawa.