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,
The Hon. Andrée Champagne, PC, Senator
President of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF)