The University of Alberta announced Tuesday afternoon that the unilingual English sign installed at the entrance to the Saint-Jean campus “will be immediately removed” and replaced by a new one that “reflects the unique French-speaking cultural identity” of the ‘place.
The establishment explains the change in display by a desire to “align with its new institutional brand image”.
“The omission of the French-speaking dimension on the entrance sign to the Saint-Jean campus is a significant and regrettable error,” declared the University of Alberta in a press release. We apologize to the French-speaking communities and members of the Saint-Jean campus community. »
On Monday, a manager of the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA), Amy Vachon-Chabot, shared on X (formerly Twitter) a photo of the new sign devoid of French. The next day, the ACFA described the gesture as “Anglo-normative” and called on the establishment to reverse its decision.
Concerns remain
Joined Tuesday late afternoon by The dutyACFA president Pierre Asselin said he was “encouraged” by the “rapid and favorable” response from the University of Alberta, but several concerns remain.
“The spirit of this decision worries me. They’re going to put the sign back up, that’s all well and good, but where did this idea come from that there was any logic to doing that? » he says on the other end of the line. “Whether it was a mistake, we accept the apology, but how do mistakes like this continue to happen? » he adds, this time describing the gesture as “assimilatory” and “a lack of respect towards the Francophonie in Alberta”.
“Place of memory”, the Saint-Jean campus, overseen by the University of Alberta, is the only post-secondary establishment in French west of Manitoba, recalls Pierre Asselin.
The latter believes that fears about the preservation of “the Franco-dominant aspect of the Saint-Jean campus” and its “community, cultural and social role” have been particularly numerous since last year. “It’s been boiling a little bit below for a long time, and then, it’s enough. »
The ACFA is particularly concerned about the “lack of consultation” on the part of the university. Last week, Radio-Canada reported that several Francophone organizations in Alberta were alarmed by the redevelopment of a “historic room” on the Saint-Jean campus, which they believe was carried out without prior consultation, which the University of Alberta denies this. According to them, the room housed important memorial objects.
An ad hoc committee responsible for studying the situation and establishing an action plan met. A meeting with senior management at the University of Alberta is also planned “very soon,” says Mr. Asselin.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.