Ministers responsible for Francophone Affairs met this week to discuss strengthening the Canadian Francophonie and the importance of building bridges with francophiles, says Government House Leader and MLA for Évangéline-Miscouche Sonny Gallant, who represented Premier Ghiz at the conference.
“In Canada, there are 9 million French-speakers, including 1.5 million francophiles, who contribute to the vitality of the francophonie,” said Mr. Gallant. “A francophile can be defined as any person whose first language is other than French, who has a positive attitude toward French culture and language, who promote them and whose behaviour demonstrates a desire to be affiliated with the Canadian Francophonie.”
Journalist and broadcaster Catherine Clark delivered the opening address. The following discussion with Francophile panelists focused on opportunities to increase Francophile participation in, and their sense of belonging to, the Canadian Francophonie.
During the conference, ministers reviewed the effect of changes to various federal policies on Francophones, emphasized the importance of renewing the federal Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality which expires in March 2013 and outlined the general framework for negotiating bilateral agreements on French language services also expiring next year.
The next Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie will be held in Winnipeg, in June 2013. Prince Edward Island will then host the conference in 2014.
For more information, please visit the conference website at www.cmfc-mccf.ca.