Francophones have been in the Yukon since the 1800s. As gold prospectors, trappers, pioneers, missionaries, adventurers or merchants, Francophones were part of the history of the Yukon throughout the 19th century. For instance, the founder of the city of Dawson, Joseph Ladue (Ledoux), although born in the United States, came from a French-Canadian family. It was also common to hear French at the Hudson's Bay Company trading posts in this era. Nowadays, 1,120 Francophones live in the Yukon and represent about 3.9 percent of the total population.
Can Francophone families move to the Yukon and have their children educated in French? Will they find a community life that will allow them to speak French outside the home? Thanks to the Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY), which was founded in 1982, this is indeed possible. AFY acts as an advocate for Francophones and as a community development agency. It can boast many achievements and is working on several plans to further improve the quality of life in French in the Yukon.
In 2001, the Franco-Yukon community was proud to inaugurate the new Centre de la francophonie du Yukon in Whitehorse. The Centre houses the offices for various Francophone groups in the region, including AFY, Aurore boreale newspaper, the economic development organization RDÉE Yukon, Comité espoir jeunesse, Les EssentiElles women's group and the Service d'orientation et de formation des adultes.
For more information, visit the AFY web site: http://www.afy.ca
