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The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian Branch, which attended the meeting of the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) in Brussels, Belgium, from March 29 to 31, 2012, has the honour of presenting its report. The delegation was composed of Bernard Trottier, MP. The following branches were represented at the meeting: Belgium / French Community / Wallonia-Brussels, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Gabon, Georgia, Hungary, Jura, Lebanon, Quebec, Romania, Senegal, Switzerland, Valle d’Aosta and Wallis. Start of meeting Once the meeting agenda and the minutes of the Committee’s previous meeting were approved, Didier Berberat, Member (Switzerland) and Chair of the Committee, presented the activity report of the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee. Dr. Omar Ndoye, Member (Senegal) and Rapporteur on HIV/AIDS-related issues, presented the activity report of the Parliamentary Network to Fight HIV/AIDS. Cultural Francophonie, Economic Francophonie: antagonism or complementarity Henriette Martinez, Member (France), presented the report, whose conclusions highlighted the need for the Francophonie to draw on its many available resources in order to invest in the economic sector. Issues involving educational systems in our societies undergoing socio-economic and cultural transformations This study by the Committee was discussed. Bernard Trottier took part in the discussion, pointing out that in Canada, education is within provincial jurisdiction. He added that the federal government supports the provinces by subsidizing linguistic minority education from kindergarten to post-secondary. Reference guide on the use of French in international organizations The Committee heard from Isabelle Durant, Vice President of the European Parliament; Mihnea Motoc, Ambassador and Romania’s permanent representative at the European Union and President of the Francophone ambassadors’ group in Brussels; Pietro Sicuro, Ambassador and OIF permanent representative to the European Union in Brussels; Frédéric Bouilleux, Director, OIF French Language and Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Directorate; Cristian Dan Preda, Branch President of the European Union Francophone Forum; and Philippe Étienne, Ambassador and French permanent representative to the European Union, all of whom spoke on the issue. While highlighting the initiatives brought forward by La Francophonie to promote the use of French in international forums, the Committee expressed concern over the lack of guidelines for diplomats and staff from a number of countries in La Francophonie for fulfilling the obligations in the reference guide. The Committee reiterated that these guidelines are to be set out and followed. Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions Bertrand St-Arnaud, Member (Quebec) and Rapporteur, presented a draft report. Frédéric Bouilleux, Director, OIF French Language and Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Directorate, took part in the ensuing discussion and announced that the OIF would be organizing parliamentarian training sessions to be given in Gabon, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Niger. Awareness of sustainable development Yves Reinkin, Member (Belgium / French Community / Wallonia-Brussels) and Committee Vice President, presented a draft report. Renée-Paule Blochet, Chargée de mission at the Académie de la Savoie and President of the Amis du Circée; Jacqueline Charron, Secretary of the Amis du Circée; Jean-Michel Lex, sustainable development awareness project coordinator at the Institut Robert Schuman d’Eupen; Maryse Clary, honorary lecturer at the Institut universitaire de formation des maîtres, Aix-Marseille, and specialist in environmental education for sustainable development and youth engagement, all took part in the ensuing discussion. Over a dozen branches contributed to the discussion. At the conclusion of these discussions, the Committee decided to table a resolution at the plenary session of the APF recommending that the APF focus on awareness about sustainable development. For more information about this meeting, please visit: http://apf-francophonie.org/spip.php?article436 (in French only). By attending this Committee meeting, the Canadian Branch achieved its objectives of fulfilling its international obligations, maintaining international connections and promoting its interests.
Respectfully submitted,
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