HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | The weekly newspaper Le Franco is the successor to La Survivance, a paper established in Edmonton in1928 for the French-speaking community of Alberta. The publication became Le Franco-Albertain in 1967, and in 1977, Le Franco.
The French language independent weekly L'Union had existed in Edmonton since 1917. This newspaper was used by the Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta (ACFA), after its creation, to communicate with the Franco-Albertans. However, by 1928, the owner of the paper, Pierre Féguenne, saw too much space being used by ACFA for what he thought ought to be paid advertising and refused to publish the ACFA's announcements and news. Faced with this problem, the ACFA perceived no other alternative but to launch its own newspaper. The ACFA received financial backing from the Oblate missionaries. L'Union tried to overcome this blow, but Féguenne finally sold his paper to the ACFA in April of 1929. The publication existed for 11 years which were particularly difficult for the French community in Alberta.
La Survivance developed a lasting readership and published articles of interest to francophone Canadians in Alberta. The front page usually covered the important news of the day, be that local, national or international, with information and columns of interest to farmers, women and children. The editors were very careful to cover problems of the francophone parishes. The paper participated in all the highlights of the francophone community including the launch in Alberta of the French language radio CHFA, in 1949, after a long fight to obtain permission from the CRTC.
The paper was rejuvenated with a change in name in 1967, and bought out by the ACFA in 1977, when it became Le Franco. |