Report

From August 30 to September 2, the Manitoba Legislature hosted the 26th Regional Assembly of the America of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) as well as the Conference of Branch Chairs. 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 Chair of the Conference of Branch Chairs; Ms. Shelly Glover, MP; and Mr. Bernard Généreux, MP. The delegation was accompanied by Mr. François Michaud, Branch Secretary.

In addition to the Canadian Branch, the Alberta, British Columbia, Louisiana, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan branches also participated in the working sessions. Mr. Arsène Yé, the Chargé de mission for Africa, observed. The Hon. Greg Selinger, Manitoba Premier and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs; the Hon. Jennifer Howard, Minister of Labour and Immigration; and a number of representatives of the Franco-Manitoban community joined the delegates for the opening and closing dinners of the Assembly.

Conference of Branch Chairs

The Conference of Branch Chairs, Chaired by the Hon. Andrée Champagne, heard a report from the Chargé de mission for the Americas about the activities in the America Region from July 2009 to July 2010. The Conference also heard about the state of finances for the APF America Region for the 2009-10 fiscal year and budget estimates for 2010-11. The Conference reviewed the 26th Ordinary Session of the APF (Dakar, July 2009) and accepted the Quebec Branch’s invitation to host the winter 2011 meeting in Quebec City. It also studied the draft schedule of regional activities for 2010-11.

Regional Assembly of the Americas

Ms. Sharon Blady, Chair of the Manitoba Branch, hosted the opening reception on August 30, after which Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde, the Chargé de mission for the Americas and an Ontario MLA, officially opened the Assembly for business.

The Hon. Andrée Champagne presented the final follow-up report on the reflection of linguistic duality at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. A number of people spoke about the report, including from the British Columbia Branch. They congratulated British Colombian Francophones for their role in the Games. Ms. Shelly Glover also spoke, emphasizing the huge success of integrating French into the Games. 

At the second working session, Louisiana Senator Eric LaFleur presented a report on the importance of elected officials defending French in minority situations. The Hon. Andrée Champagne noted that older unilingual Francophones in Louisiana have limited access to health care in French. She referred to the saying “the more languages you speak, the more lives you live.”

Ms. Sharon Blady then invited Mr. Louis Allain, CEO of the Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba (CDEM), to present a report on economic development in Francophone and bilingual communities. Ms. Shelly Glover asked him to describe CDEM’s role in Francophone immigration, which is one of CDEM’s top priorities.

The fourth working session focused on a presentation by Mr. Michel Samson, Chair of the Nova Scotia Branch, about the Bonjour Program and the French-Language Services Act.

Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde, Chargé de mission for the Americas and Chair of the Ontario Branch, then gave a presentation on his project for a Francophone Youth Parliament for the America Region.

The sixth working session was led by the Deputy Chair of the Quebec Section, Mr. Henri-François Gautrin, who presented a progress report on cooperative movement as an economic development tool in the Francophone regions of the Americas.

Parliamentarians then passed resolutions relating to the business of the 26th Regional Assembly of the Americas: the role of French in the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the protection of Francophone minority communities and the Francophone Youth Parliament for the America Region.

The Regional Assembly closed with a presentation from Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, the Hon. Jason Kenney. He spoke about Francophone immigration and federal-provincial cooperation in Canada. Discussion followed.

The Hon. Andrée Champagne not only chaired the work of the Conference of Branch Chairs, but also, with support from Ms. Glover and Mr. Généreux, defended the interests of the Canadian Branch, maintained regional ties and promoted the values of the members of the Canadian Branch within La Francophonie. The Canadian Branch of the APF’s strategic objectives for this mission were met.

Respectfully submitted,