For The Good of Franco-Ontarians: Le Droit's Editorials, 1913-1933

In 1912 the Ontario government tabled Regulation 17 to severely limit teaching in French in provincial schools. Franco-Ontarians launched the newspaper Le Droit in March, 1913 to defeat the measure and protect minority language rights. The Oblats de Marie Immacule, an Ottawa-based Catholic missionary order, provided operational support as it was also expected to act as a bonne presse encouraging social Catholicism.

A content analysis of editorials from 1913 to 1933 reveals several changes that positioned Le Droit to remain in print after defeating Regulation 17 and the departure of the Oblates. In brief, in Le Droits initial years it offered a healthy amount of editorial content devoted to fighting Regulation 17, combatting assimilationist threats, and encouraging readers to live according to Catholic doctrine. However, by the late 1910s it diversified its content by paying less and less attention to religious matters while significantly limiting pieces about Regulation 17 and other assimilationist threats. The early half of the 1920s also saw the daily introduce content for readers in Quebec, challenging its initial aim of serving Franco-Ontarians exclusively. Archival material about Le Droits operations reveals the factors that encouraged its transformation. Financial pressures were, for one, a leading reason for seeking to diversify the dailys editorials. Adopting the bonne entente strategy to protecting Franco-Ontarian rights likewise influenced the type of material it published. In short, embracing this strategy meant Le Droit printed an increasing number of pieces promoting a proactive approach to surviving instead of editorials assailing assimilationist threats.

What emerges from this exploration is a glimpse into the mindset of Franco-Ontarian lay and clerical leaders. Their decision-making was limited by attempts to remain wedded to their initial intentions or strategies. They instead adopted very practical solutions to internal and external challenges they faced. The evidence also shows that the unique, and often changing, circumstances and conditions in Ontario significantly impacted what opportunities could be used to ensure Le Droit remained relevant and in print. The pragmatism they demonstrated in guiding the dailys editorial policies not only kept the daily on newsstands but was paramount in the fight to ensure the minoritys survival.