This Week in Canadian Media History: Le Droit founded in 1913

Screenshot from Le Droit's special 100th anniversary website

By Eric Mark Do, Reporter

Screenshot from Le Droit's special 100th anniversary website

By Eric Mark Do, Reporter

Le Droit published its first issue on Mar. 27, 1913—a year after the Ontario government passed Regulation 17, a law that “made English the only language of instruction in public schools.” The newspaper was founded by le Syndicat d'Oeuvres sociales Ltée and directed by Charles Charlebois of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

As Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, put it: Le Droit became the vehicle of opposition to Regulation 17. Le Droit’s motto, “L’avenir est à ceux qui luttent” [the future belongs to those who struggle] left no doubt as to what motivated the founding of the newspaper.

In Le Droit's own recounting of its launch, the daily describes itself as the tool of French Canadians in Ontario to mobilize and protest against the oppressor. Le Droit celebrated its 100th anniversary last year and launched a website dedicated to the history of the newspaper. Check it out here.

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