The idea of an association which would regroup the various
Franco-Albertan organizations had been considered by the members
of the Société du parler français in 1912. In 1914, the outbreak
of the First World War put such growth on hold and nothing was
realized until 1925, when the need for such an organization once
again became obvious.
The clergy, under the direction of Archbishop O’Leary, was not
particularly sympathetic to the needs of the French community
and many believed that a lay organization would be a better way
to assure the protection of linguistic and educational rights.
With the rise of the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA), who the
rural Franco-Albertans voted for, a rift had been driven between
the urban and rural French community. As if that wasn’t enough,
the politically minded Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste also lost
The first meeting was held on 13 December 1925; and organized
by the feminine group, le club Jeanne-d’Arc; 400 people were
present. However, it was 17 July 1926, that the Association
canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA) was established, using
parish circles to determine the thrust of the organization.
The ACFA, which exists to this day, pursues the mandate of
protecting the rights of French-speakers in Alberta. The ACFA
published the first edition of la Survivance (a publication
created to serve the association) and organized a series of
bimonthly radio concerts which were broadcast from Edmonton and
listened to with great appreciation. The organization promoted a
competition for the top students of the French program organized
by the Association des Éducateurs bilingues de l’Alberta. A
bilingual agronomist was named by the Alberta government and an
organization for school children, "l’Avant-garde de l’ACFA" was
established. The notes of their meetings and some of their texts
were published in la Survivance.
For nearly 80 years now, the ACFA has been protecting the
rights of Franco-Albertans; over 50 organizations are
represented by her. The membership is no longer represented by
parish circles as it was in the beginning, but by local circles
and regional offices which answer for the local members.