From July 4 to July 7, 2004, the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island will host the 30th Session of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF). It will be the first time that an associate section of the APF will host this yearly event. Special guests include Mr. Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
Parliamentary delegations from around the world, including Burkina Faso, Cameroun, France, Lithuania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia and Vietnam among others, will convene in Charlottetown for their annual conference. Participants will deliberate on issues of common interest to the international Francophone community. Also on the agenda is a ceremony where 11 Islanders will receive the Ordre de la Pléiade, an international award that recognizes the accomplishments of those who have distinguished themselves by promoting the ideals of cooperation and friendship of the APF. Recipients will be announced at a later date and will receive their award on July 6 at a ceremony held at the Delta Prince Edward.
“It is a great honour for our Legislative Assembly and the Province of Prince Edward Island to have been chosen to host this prestigious event,” said MLA Wilfred Arsenault who was instrumental in bringing this international conference to the Island. “As president of the associate PEI section of the APF, it is with great pleasure that I welcome my fellow parliamentarians and encourage them to experience our well-known hospitality.”
While in PEI, delegates and their guests will have the opportunity to attend a reception at Government House hosted by the Honourable J. Léonce Bernard, enjoy a dinner to celebrate the 400th anniversary of l’Acadie, take a tour of Confederation Bridge and attend a reception hosted by Premier Binns at Founders Hall, among other activities.
“We are very proud that the APF chose PEI to host this event and mark in their own way the commemorating of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Acadie,” said the Honourable Elmer MacFadyen, Minister responsible for Acadian and Francophone Affairs.
The APF brings together 73 parliaments from all five continents and serves as a democratic link between Francophones and their institutions worldwide. It also serves as a forum for debate and information exchange on issues of common interest to French-speaking parliamentarians. The APF initiates and implements action in the areas of interparliamentary cooperation and democratic development. Its actions aim at strengthening solidarity between parliamentary institutions and promoting democracy, especially within the international Francophone community.
The America Regional Assembly of the APF will follow the international conference and will also be held in Charlottetown, July 8 and 9.