44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 20, 2023 11:00AM
- Mar/20/23 2:03:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the International Day of La Francophonie was created in 1988 by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie to give the 88 member states an opportunity to celebrate their common bond: the French language.
At home in Trois-Rivières, we celebrate La Francophonie all year long. We have the International Poetry Festival, a book fair and the Association des écoles festives de théâtre. In addition, this year, two well-known people from my riding will be awarded the Ordre de la Pléiade. This honour recognizes the work of Robert Aubin, former member of Parliament for Trois-Rivières, as well as Louise Lacoursière, a best-selling author from Trois-Rivières. They have both made their mark by supporting and promoting the ideals of the francophone community.
La Francophonie is not France. La Francophonie is all those who speak, think, live and study in French, wherever and whoever they are. La Francophonie is a shared language, culture, identity and set of values.
I want to personally invite everyone in Trois-Rivières to participate in the activities celebrating International Francophonie Day. Together we speak French and together we are stronger. Long live La Francophonie.
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- Mar/20/23 2:06:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier and an ardent defender of the French fact, today, March 20, I am proud to mark the 53rd International Day of La Francophonie.
This year, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie chose “321 million francophones, billions of cultural content” as their theme in order to celebrate the diversity of francophone cultural creation and emphasize the importance of ensuring that it can be easily accessed online.
Language does not belong to a country or region. It belongs to the individual, and only the individual can determine its future and survival. The modernization of the Official Languages Act is one way to stop the decline of French, but we also all need to do our part to stop the decline of French. As francophones, we need to establish a strong presence, while respecting the other language.
We need to work together to keep our country bilingual. The French language is not a rival; rather, it is a distinctive force.
Let us be proud of our country's English-French bilingualism today and throughout the year. We need to take action now.
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- Mar/20/23 2:09:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, March 20 marks the International Day of La Francophonie, and this year's theme is “321 million francophones, a world of cultural content”.
This day celebrates the French language. Some 10.4 million Canadians speak French. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, I want to thank all of our partners, including the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, or FCFA, and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, or OIF. Their work strengthens ties among our large francophone family and enhances our cultural and linguistic diversity.
This is a very important day because it gives us the opportunity to celebrate our culture and pride in our identity. I want to extend special congratulations to the 12 francophone school boards across Ontario and, in my region, Nipissing, Sudbury and Nickel Belt, which are celebrating their 25th anniversary.
I invite all francophones and francophiles to celebrate our language, our culture and our heritage.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House on behalf of the NDP to mark the International Day of La Francophonie, an important day for celebrating and promoting our beautiful French language.
The French language originated in Europe, but it is also entrenched here in North America, in the Arab world and especially in Africa, which is now the continent with the largest number of francophones. This year's theme, “321 million francophones, a world of cultural content”, places an emphasis on the diversity of francophone culture within the Francophonie and for francophiles around the world.
A language is much more than vocabulary and grammar. It is also a vision, a way of looking at the world and telling our stories. It is important that French-language works be available and discoverable, especially in the new world of digital broadcasting. That is why the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie is focusing on the discoverability of francophone content.
That is good timing, because most members of the House have been working on this issue in the context of Bill C-11. There is still work to be done for the French language, but we have taken a step in the right direction. Let us continue doing that with the rest of the world.
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- Mar/20/23 2:20:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wish everyone a happy International Day of Happiness, a happy spring and, most of all, a happy 36th International Day of La Francophonie.
The French language is part of our history. The language of Molière unites us and makes us unique. It allows us to connect with francophone communities in Canada and around the world. It is a language with a thousand accents that offers an invaluable social, cultural and economic advantage to those who master it.
We should be proud that French is one of our country's official languages. We should not take it for granted. We should all promote French and we should all continue to work to protect French. As Gilles Vigneault says, “La Francophonie is a vast nation without borders. It is the nation of the French language. It is an inner nation. It is the invisible, spiritual, mental, moral nation within us all”.
Let us keep taking care of our collective heritage, which sets us apart in the English-speaking ocean of North America, and keep celebrating it. Let us be proud of French.
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- Mar/20/23 3:08:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the French language is one of our country's treasures. It is the key to understanding the rich and diverse communities found throughout the world and here in Canada.
French is spoken from Whitehorse to Laval, from Gaspé to Isle Madame, off Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.
Could the Minister of Official Languages tell the House about the measures our government is taking to protect French across the country?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and colleague from Laval—Les Îles for his important question and his hard work.
Our French language is invaluable, and it is at risk.
That is why we are the first government to recognize the decline of the French language and also the first government to say that we will do everything we can to protect and promote French across the country.
With Bill C-13 and our next action plan for official languages, we will contribute our fair share to the all-out effort to protect and promote French across the country.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy International Day of La Francophonie.
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