Les soeurs Desloges

The Desloges sisters: rebels of Ontario's French-speaking community.

In 1912, Ontario adopted Regulation 17, a law prohibiting the teaching of French in schools. Diane and Béatrice Desloges, two young teachers at Guigues School in Ottawa, saw this law for what it was: an attempt to erase their culture and language. Rather than submit, they chose to disobey. Supported by a group of Franco-Ontarian mothers who were as fierce as they were united, they continued to teach in secret.

This struggle culminated on January 7, 1916, when the authorities expelled the Desloges sisters from Guigues School. The community organized, defended the premises, and turned this moment into a collective movement. This struggle became known as the Battle of the Hatpins, in tribute to the women who wielded their accessories as weapons of resistance. The story of the Desloges sisters is one of civil disobedience in the name of justice, the right to education in French, and cultural survival. A century later, their flame continues to inspire all those who refuse to let their language and identity die.