Keith Spicer, at the time, Canada’s first Commissioner of Official Languages, had met groups of parents across Canada who wanted their children to learn French as a second language (FSL) but who ran into roadblocks at the local school board. To get the ball rolling, Mr. Spicer offered to find some seed money — enough to organize a national conference of like-minded parents. The result was an event
called “Parents’ Conference on French Language and Exchange Opportunities,” which took place in Ottawa in March of 1977. It was during the weekend-long conference that CPF was officially founded as a volunteer-based advocacy group. The first conference determined a few things that are fundamental to the history of CPF. For one, the group outlined its goals, and two, the group elected its first National Board of Directors. Pat Webster became the first Chair or President of CPF. The first Directors were: Judith Madley (British Columbia), David Saunders (Prairie Region), Pat Webster (Ontario), Elizabeth Annesley (Quebec), and Mary Lou Morrison (Atlantic Region). This original small group of concerned parents who met in Ottawa over 30 years ago, has evolved into a proactive national network with 11 Branch offices and some 170 Chapters in communities coast to coast.
