DCHP-3

French fact

< French 'le fait français'
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)

Spelling variants:
French Fact

n. — French relations

the existence of francophone culture and communities within Canada; usually the French fact.

Type: 5. Frequency — The term French Fact, often preceded by the definite article, refers to the presence of a distinct francophone culture and community within Canada (see COD-2, s.v. "French fact"). It is said to derive from French "le fait francais", a direct translation of the French fact (see the 1998 quotation). Discussions of the French fact often occur in dialogue of recognition or acceptance of the French-speaking population in Canada as a distinct entity (see the 1945 quotation), especially in regards to bilingualism (see the 1978 quotation). The term French fact is also used to differentiate Canada from its US neighbour (see the 2000 quotation). As seen in Chart 1, the term is most frequently used in Canada.
See also Gage-5, s.v. "French Fact", which is marked "Cdn.", Gage-3, s.v. "French fact", which is marked "Cdn.", COD-2, s.v. "French fact", which is marked "Cdn", and OED-3, which is marked "Canad".
Also as: the French-Canadian fact or our French fact.

Quotations

1939
"For my compatriots I do not hesitate to affirm that it could be limited to three main ideas - the maintenance of Provincial autonomy, recognition of the 'French fact (fait Francais)' in Canada, and acceptance of Canada first over the imperialist thesis. When her Majesty the Queen spoke the lines quoted above in French in Ottawa, the Capital of Confederation, it was an eloquent affirmation that in the mind of Her Majesty that the 'French fact' exists [...]"
1945
"Basically it is the failure of the English speaking Canadians to recognize the French Fact. [...]"
1963
"We are concerned about the French-Canadian fact. Our neighbors to the East are accomplishing a renaissance and a revolution which are giving fresh vitality to their cultural group. [...]"
1978
Although Manitoba's French Canadian population (8.8 per cent of the total) is the largest in the four western provinces, the province's ethnic mix is the most diverse in the West. Only 41.9 per cent of the population declared itself of British heritage in the 1971 census. That means nearly half the population is of neither English nor French extraction, and for this sizeable group bilingualism and the idea of Canada with two official languages remains hard to accept. In other western provinces, the French fact and bilingualism can be ignored; the presence of St. Boniface and 37 other French Canadian communities in Manitoba means constant pressure for more French-language services.
1981
Appealing for a compromise on language policy, Mr. Trudeau acknowledged that Quebec must live in French, and that the rights of French-speaking Canadians inside and outside Quebec must be protected. ''But one cannot live in a closed box. One does not assert the French fact in North America by avoiding English. In that sense, the overprotection of French-speaking people risks becoming a disservice to them." Mr. Trudeau pointed to the recent weakening of the economy of Quebec in general and Montreal in particular and said the main fault lies with the adverse economic climate created by the Parti Quebecois Government.
1998
There are some 30,000 British Columbians -- not to speak of hundreds of thousands of anglophones elsewhere in Canada -- who have voted with their feet by enrolling their children in French immersion schools. There are many more who now accept the French fact -- le fait francais -- as one of the elements that help set Canada off from its large, and sometimes overbearing, neighbour to the south.
2000
Our forefathers worked hard to build Canada, and, let's face it, the only factor that differentiates Canada from the United States is our French fact.
2006
The motion does not refer to the French fact in Canada, or francophone culture generally; it refers specifically to those people who live in Quebec and only those. Thus, the concept of nation applies not to any other ethnic or culturally distinct group in Canada, but only to the province of Quebec.
2014
History has made the French Fact a shared Canadian achievement - however reluctant some may be to see it that way. People of a certain age can remember the last world war. After the surrender of France in 1940, Montreal was the last great, free, Frenchspeaking city in the world. The old French Empire was largely conquered; yet in Canada, French civilization endured free.

References

  • OED-3
  • Gage-5
  • Gage-3
  • COD-2

Images

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 18 Jun. 2014

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 18 Jun. 2014