Report

The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian Branch that attended bilateral meetings and the XXVI Session of the Europe Regional Assembly of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) in Paris, France, and Chisinau, Moldova, from November 13 to 21, 2013, has the honour to present its report.

The delegation from the Canadian Branch of the APF was made up of the Hon. Andrée Champagne, PC, Senator, President of the APF; the delegation was accompanied by François Michaud, Branch Secretary.

The following branches took part in the proceedings of the Europe Regional Assembly: Andorra, Aosta Valley, Belgium / Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Jersey, Jura, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Valais, and Vaud. The chargés de mission for Africa and the Americas also attended.

Bilateral meetings

As International President of the APF, the Hon. Andrée Champagne was in Paris to meet with the Secretary General of La Francophonie, Abdou Diouf; the First Vice-President of the French National Assembly, Laurence Dumont; several members of the French Branch of the APF, including its president, Jean-Pierre Dufau; and members of the international secretariat of the APF. The Hon. Andrée Champagne also met with the Ambassador of Canada to France, Lawrence Cannon, and the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Canada to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

During her meeting with the Secretary General of La Francophonie, the President discussed key issues concerning La Francophonie and the APF, including the upcoming annual assembly of the APF in Ottawa in July 2014; the role of Canada and Prime Minister Harper in G8/G20 consultations with La Francophonie and the Commonwealth; the political situation in several countries; cooperation between the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the APF; and APF cooperation programs. The Secretary General of La Francophonie confirmed that he would be attending the assembly in Ottawa.

For further information, visit:
http://www.francophonie.org/Abdou-Diouf-s-entretient-avec-la-44664.html.

The President and the First Vice-President of the French National Assembly (FNA) discussed APF business, its committees and the Network of Women Parliamentarians. The Francophone Youth Parliament was also discussed. The President used her visit to the National Assembly as an opportunity to thank the FNA for its substantial financial, human and materiel support for the APF. The President invited the Vice-President to the assembly in Ottawa in July 2014.

The French Branch of the APF hosted a luncheon in the President’s honour. The discussion focussed on the work of the APF, the APF annual assembly in Ottawa in 2014 and the political situation in France. The President thanked the French Branch for its invaluable work within the APF and invited everyone in attendance to Ottawa in July.

The President held a working meeting with the APF international secretariat team. APF business, programs and internal issues were discussed.

While in Paris, the Hon. Andrée Champagne also took the opportunity to meet with the ambassadors of Canada to France and UNESCO to discuss the OIF, the political situation in a number of countries and Canada’s role within La Francophonie.

XXVI Session of the Europe Regional Assembly

As International President of the APF, the Hon. Andrée Champagne travelled to Chisinau, Moldova, to take part in the XXVI Session of the Europe Regional Assembly of the APF. This annual assembly is attended by European parliamentarians who, with the legitimacy provided them by universal suffrage, discuss the concerns and aspirations of their constituents. The Regional Assembly is a forum to help forge close cooperation and genuine cross-cultural dialogue. More than a discussion forum, the Europe Regional Assembly is a genuine driver for Francophone parliamentary initiatives.

The President took part in a meeting with the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Corman; along with the Parliamentary General Secretary, Pascal Terrasse; two vice-presidents of the APF, Jean-Pierre Dufau (France) and Christian Dupont (Belgium / Wallonia-Brussels Federation); and the European chargé de mission, Jean-Paul Wahl (Belgium / Wallonia-Brussels Federation).

The formal opening session of this assembly included speeches by Jean-Paul Wahl, the APF’s European chargé de mission; Igor Corman, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova; Ana Gutu, President of the Moldavian Branch of the APF; Pascal Terasse, the APF’s Parliamentary General Secretary; and the Hon. Andrée Champagne, President of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie. The President then presented her vision regarding her mandate as head of the APF.

The first order of business was a presentation by Emmanuel Skoulios, Principal of the Alliance française of Moldova and President of the France-Moldova Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on La Francophonie as an instrument of openness and development for Moldova. Tatiana Petcu, teacher at the Gheorghe Asachi French-Romanian Secondary School and instructor at the Alliance française of Moldova, gave a presentation on French as the language of bilingual education in the Republic of Moldova. Intercultural dialogue in French through the Francophonie in Central and Eastern Europe was the subject of a presentation by Ion Gutu, Head of the Department of French at the Moldova State University.

Elena Prus, Director of the Language and Intercultural Research Institute of the Free International University of Moldova, gave a presentation on French as a language of research for advancing a modern, evolving society, while the theme of the academic francophonie as a major issue for the federalization of research and higher learning with respect to graduate studies reform was presented by Rodica Sturza, Professor at the Technical University of Moldova. Valentina Vorojbit, Professor at the Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chisinau, gave a presentation on francophone medical thought – the continuum of university teaching and research.

The assembly also visited the Free International University of Moldova, where the following presentations were given: opening remarks by the Rector, Andrei Galben; international law – an indispensable framework for the Republic of Moldova’s European pathway, by Vitalie Gamurari, Dean of the Faculty of Law; and French as a language of intercultural dialogue through book publishing, by writer and publisher Emilian Galaicu-Paun of the Cartier publishing house.

Roman Kwiatkowskii, Manager of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) satellite office in Chisinau, gave a presentation on the AUF Moldavian office’s support mechanism for helping Moldavian students enter the workforce.

The assembly heard from actor and director Mihai Fusu, who gave a presentation on francophone theatre as an outstanding intercultural vehicle, at the National Museum of History of Moldova.

The chargés de mission for Africa and the Americas presented their activity reports.

The assembly passed two resolutions, the first concerning research and consolidating French as the language for accessing knowledge in the Francophonie, and the other on the Eastern Partnership.

For more information, including written versions of the speeches, visit:
http://apf.pcf.be/ROOT/apf/calendrier/chisinau/chisinau_nov2013.html

The delegation would like to thank Ambassador Lawrence Cannon and his staff at the Embassy of Canada in France, Nicholas Brousseau, chargé d’affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Canada in Romania, and Didier Le Bot and his staff at the APF International Secretariat for their support in preparing this important mission.

By participating in these meeting, the Canadian Branch achieved its goals of meeting its international obligations, maintaining international contacts and representing its interests.

Respectfully submitted,