Decolonization efforts entangle Franco-Albertan heritage

The University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean has become the scene of an unusual social-justice conflict, pitting Indigenous reconciliation efforts against the struggle of Franco-Albertans to resist assimilation.  

The conflict burst into the public eye on July 8, when the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA), an advocacy organization for Alberta’s francophone population, published an open letter expressing concerns about Campus Saint-Jean’s policy and administrative choices in recent years. Previous decisions to dismantle a room showcasing the history of the campus and to cover up a commemorative mural created in the 1990s have been interpreted by the Franco-Albertan community as a direct threat to their identity and visibility. 

On July 9, the dean of Campus Saint-Jean, Jason Carey, published an official response to ACFA’s letter. In it, Dr. Carey cited ongoing legal action, undertaken by ACFA in 2020 against the Government of Alberta and the University of Alberta, as an impediment to co-operation. “It would not be appropriate for the University to engage on matters that are the subject of litigation, which limits the possibility of collaboration and consultation directly with the ACFA, a situation we regret,” reads Dean Carey’s response. 

Because of the lawsuit, the Campus is now refusing to consult ACFA on its 2027–2034 strategic plan. In this suit, ACFA alleges that the defendants shirked their obligations toward Campus Saint-Jean. Specifically, it argues that they breached a 1976 agreement under which the former Collège Saint-Jean was transferred to the University of Alberta, and that they failed to uphold minority language education rights protected under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

Indigenizing the campus 

This standoff emerges as the University of Alberta is in the midst of implementing its strategic plan for Indigenous reconciliation, entitled Braiding Past, Present and Future. Many franco-Albertans argue that this new planoperates to the detriment of their own history in the province. 

Jérôme Melançon, a professor of philosophy at the University of Regina, said the conflict raises a complex paradox for the French-speaking community. “Francophones celebrate their heritage as a matter of survival,” he said. “But part of that heritage is intimately linked to the Catholic clergy who created the genocidal Indian Residential School system. One community’s symbol of resilience is another’s symbol of colonial trauma.” 

“Francophones are caught in a bind,” he added. “To preserve their visibility in the public sphere, they’re compelled to defend symbols of a colonial past. If they agree to abandon these symbols without any countermeasures, it’s as though they’re allowing themselves to be erased.” 

The administration of Campus Saint-Jean denies the charge of erasing history; it justifies the changes as a necessary step toward truth and decolonization, especially since several founding figures of Collège Saint-Jean were Catholic Oblate Fathers who were also involved in operating Indian Residential Schools. 

Dr. Carey explained his administration’s position in a June 12 open letter, which stated: “The duty to remember to which we subscribe is based on the rigorous work and findings of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), which highlight the movement of clergy between Saint-Jean College and various residential schools in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.” 

When asked for comment, the NCTR said in an email that it had not partnered with the University of Alberta on these matters, but “invited educational institutions to visit its digital archives for a fuller understanding of the residential school experience and its impact on survivors.” 

Dr. Melançon noted that there is a central difficulty in any process of reconciliation and decolonization: “It can never be dictated from above,” he said. “It requires everyone’s full participation. It’s not a consultation; it’snot a discussion. The relevant parties have to be involved in it from start to finish.” 

Jonathan Paquette, a professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, said that one way to defuse these conflicts is to move from a civic language of commemoration — where historical figures are celebrated for their perceivedly irreproachable virtues — to a more critical approach. Rather than total erasure, he advocates for the coexistence of multiple histories. “It’s not about erasing history; it’s about working with history,” he said. “Public space isn’t just for celebrating civic virtues; it can also be a site for remembrance.” He suggests that a nuanced approach could facilitate the decolonization process. 

The 1976 agreement to protect francophone education 

As the University of Alberta’s central administration carries out physical changes to Campus Saint-Jean, the 1976 agreement under which which Collège Saint-Jean was sold to the university is re-emerging as a legal battlefield.  

Signed on April 14, 1976, this contract binds the Oblate Fathers, the University of Alberta and the provincial government. Under the agreement, unique in Canada, the Oblates sold the college and its property to the University of Alberta; in return, the university committed to “use its best efforts to operate, maintain, improve and expand” the college’s programs “to provide university level education for students who chose to pursue their studies in French and to live or to study in a predominantly French environment.”  

In 2019, the Oblates delegated their role as signatories to the agreement to ACFA, which thereby took on the moral responsibility of protecting the francophone character and mandate of Campus Saint-Jean. 

Dr. Melançon said this arrangement places tremendous pressure on the local administrators of Campus Saint-Jean. “The francophone community might not be aware of the budgetary stranglehold imposed by the province and centralized by the anglophone institution. Campus Saint-Jean has to fight against the rest of the University of Alberta to preserve what it has. Disciplinary and administrative power are concentrated at the central level of the university.” 

Campus Saint-Jean also has to contend with significant demographic changes. Growing international enrollment is swelling the student body. The administration maintains that to support this diversity, the campus must become pluralistic, neutral and inclusive. 

The campus’s main challenge will be to show it can make space for Indigenous voices and new international students without negating the legacy of founders who build the institution to help the minority community survive.  

“It’s a delicate balance that can only be achieved through horizontal, inclusive dialogue, not through unilateral, top-down decisions,” said Dr. Melançon.