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The Canadian
Branch of the Parliamentary Delegation that participated in the
27th Regional Assembly of the Americas of the Assemblée parlementaire The delegation from the Canadian Branch of the APF was made up of the Hon. Andrée Champagne, PC, Senator, Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Shelly Glover, MP and Branch Vice-Chair; the delegation was accompanied by David Gagnon, Acting Branch Secretary. In addition to the Canadian Branch, the Louisiana, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan branches also participated in the work sessions. President and CEO of the Centre de la francophonie des Amériques Denis Desgagné and President of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada Marie-France Kenny attended the session as observers. As well, the Hon. Don Toth, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, along with a number of representatives of Fransaskois community institutions, joined the delegates for the opening and closing dinners of the Assembly. Conference of Branch Chairs The Conference of Branch Chairs, led by Quebec Branch Chair Henri‑François Gautrin, began by reviewing the decisions from the APF Bureau meeting and the highlights of the 38th plenary session of the APF, which took place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from July 4 to 8, 2011. Chargé de mission of the Americas Yvon Bonenfant then presented a report on the Region’s activities since the January 2011 Conference of Branch Chairs in Quebec City. Further to a motion by Senator Andrée Champagne, the Branch Chairs reviewed and adopted the revenues and expenses statement of the Americas Region Fund and the budget projections for the current fiscal year. Hosting branch chair Warren McCall then presented the final agenda for the Regional Assembly. At the invitation of the Ontario Branch, it was moved and adopted that the Winter 2012 Conference of Branch Chairs take place in Toronto. The Louisiana Branch confirmed its willingness to host the 28th Regional Assembly of the Americas in New Orleans and Baton Rouge in August 2012. Lastly, the Quebec Branch moved that a new format be adopted for the later regional sessions, focussing on a single common topic selected by the various branches based on their own situations and desired angle. It was agreed that the topic for the next regional session would be “the impact of the knowledge of French on the local economy in the Americas.” Regional Assembly of the Americas Chargé de mission of the Americas Yvon Bonenfant delivered the official opening address of the 27th Regional Assembly of the Americas. He invited his counterpart, the European chargé de mission of the APF, Representative of the French-Speaking Community of Belgium Jean-Paul Wahl, to present his report on the Europe Region’s activities over the past year. Yvon Bonenfant then presented a report on the activities of the America Region of the APF. After that, the first of six work sessions began, each session with its own topic. The first work session focussed on cooperatives as a tool for development and the survival of francophone communities in North America. This topic was presented by the Quebec Branch, and Branch Chair Henri-François Gautrin acted as the rapporteur. This was the final report on the topic, which was previously addressed in a status report. During the second session, Senator Andrée Champagne, Chair of the Canadian Branch, presented her report, Culture as a Vector of La Francophonie. At the third work session, Chair of the Ontario Section Jean-Marc Lalonde presented an analysis of Ontario’s francophone media. The fourth work session focussed on the New Brunswick Branch’s topic, A Language That Travels, a Culture for Sharing, presented by Branch Chair Yvon Bonenfant. At the fifth work session, Senator Éric Lafleur, Louisiana Branch Chair, gave a presentation on the French Language Services Act recently passed in Louisiana. Lastly, at the sixth work session, Josée Bourgoin, local-product development and interpretation coordinator, Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise, presented the report Rural Revitalization through Locally Grown Products on behalf of the Saskatchewan Branch. After this last session wrapped up, the parliamentarians adopted two resolutions moved by the Quebec Branch: one on topics raised by the Americas Region branches during annual regional assemblies; and the other on the cooperative movement as a tool for development and the survival of francophone communities in North America. Jean-Marc Lalonde and the Regional Secretary were given the mandate to work with the CEO of the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques on establishing the Francophone Youth Parliament of the Americas. At the request of Senator Andrée Champagne, it was agreed that Chargé de mission of the Americas Yvon Bonenfant would write to the APF International Chair to ensure that the APF 2012 plenary session would not held in June, notwithstanding the first Forum mondial de la langue française in early July. The Canadian Branch Chair also pointed out that it would be worthwhile to continue our efforts to have the deputies and senators in the French parliament representing the French overseas territories in the Americas, including Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, attend our regional sessions as observers. At the request of MNA Carole Poirier, Quebec Branch, it was agreed that from now on, the follow-ups of resolutions adopted at the preceding Regional Assembly would be systematically reported.
Respectfully submitted,
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