The Franco-Columbian Pride flag

A new teaching tool for building solidarity in French-language classrooms in BC

By EJ Rush (they/them, iel/el, accords au féminin), teacher and SEPF member, Esquimalt

Looking for a classroom resource that supports inclusion, social justice, and powerful conversations in French? The Franco-Columbian Pride flag is a new teaching tool designed for educators working in French as a first or working language in BC.

Created by students in the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSFCB) in 2023, the flag is an intersectional identity construction project. It highlights solidarity within the French-speaking community in BC and affirms two simple ideas: all people who speak French belong to the community, and all members of the community have responsibilities toward one another. The design centres linguistic security and fosters a sense of celebration and belonging.

The Franco-Columbian Pride flag invites students to see French as a shared, living language—one that supports belonging, justice, and responsibility in their own community.

The Franco-Columbian Pride flag is the first Francophone flag in Canada to represent commitments to reconciliation and anti-racism alongside the celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Its development involved consultation with Indigenous community partners, including members of the Songhees and Tsawout First Nations, Métis Nation BC, 2 Spirits of BC, and the Department of Reconciliation and Indigenous Education at the CSFCB.

In the classroom, the flag supports rich and age-appropriate discussions. It invites students to explore personal and social responsibility while learning French on Indigenous territories. It also provides a concrete entry point for conversations about equitable representation and inclusive language in French.

The flag can be meaningfully integrated into school-wide events or projects organized in connection with La Francophonie month in March; International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism, and Transphobia on May 17; National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21; Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20; or Human Rights Day on December 10, to name just a few.

A complete French language unit plan is available on TeachBC (bctf.ca/classroomresources). It includes visual and audio media leading to authentic, own-voice French texts by students and community members in BC; inquiry and assessment supports; and creative project ideas, reflection questions, and formative assessments. The goal is not to reproduce the flag but to invite students to imagine and design their own collective identity-building projects in French, grounded in the land, histories, and values of their community.

Like the Progress Pride flag or the Every Child Matters flag, the Franco-Columbian Pride flag is not a territorial flag. Instead, it centres community care and solidarity. Schools are encouraged to invite and honour local First Nations if the flag is raised. Whether displayed, discussed, or used as a starting point for inquiry, the Franco-Columbian Pride flag invites teachers and students alike to ask an essential question: What does it mean to belong, here, together, in French?