The Canadian
Branch of the Parliamentary Delegation that participated in the
27th Regional Assembly of the Americas of the Assemblée parlementaire
de la Francophonie (APF) as well as the Conference of Branch Chairs from
August 22 to 26, 2011, in Regina, Saskatchewan, 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, Chair of the Canadian Branch; and Shelly Glover, MP and
Branch Vice-Chair; the delegation was accompanied by David Gagnon, Acting
Branch Secretary.
In addition
to the Canadian Branch, the Louisiana, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec and
Saskatchewan branches also participated in the work sessions. President and CEO of the Centre de la francophonie des AmériquesDenis Desgagné and President of the Fédération des communautés
francophones et acadiennes du CanadaMarie-France Kenny attended the
session as observers. As well, the Hon. Don Toth,
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, along with a number of
representatives of Fransaskois community institutions, joined the delegates for
the opening and closing dinners of the Assembly.
Conference
of Branch Chairs
The
Conference of Branch Chairs, led by Quebec Branch Chair Henri‑François Gautrin,
began by reviewing the decisions from the APF Bureau meeting and the highlights
of the 38th plenary session of the APF, which took place in Kinshasa,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, from July 4 to 8, 2011. Chargé de mission of
the Americas Yvon Bonenfant then presented a report on the Region’s
activities since the January 2011 Conference of Branch Chairs in Quebec City.
Further to a motion by Senator Andrée Champagne, the Branch Chairs
reviewed and adopted the revenues and expenses statement of the Americas Region
Fund and the budget projections for the current fiscal year. Hosting branch
chair Warren McCall then presented the final agenda for the Regional Assembly.
At the
invitation of the Ontario Branch, it was moved and adopted that the Winter 2012
Conference of Branch Chairs take place in Toronto. The Louisiana Branch
confirmed its willingness to host the 28th Regional Assembly of the Americas in
New Orleans and Baton Rouge in August 2012. Lastly, the Quebec Branch moved
that a new format be adopted for the later regional sessions, focussing on a
single common topic selected by the various branches based on their own
situations and desired angle. It was agreed that the topic for the next
regional session would be “the impact of the knowledge of French on the local
economy in the Americas.”
Regional
Assembly of the Americas
Chargé de
mission of the Americas Yvon Bonenfant delivered the official opening
address of the 27th Regional Assembly of the Americas. He invited his
counterpart, the European chargé de mission of the APF, Representative of the
French-Speaking Community of Belgium Jean-Paul Wahl, to present his
report on the Europe Region’s activities over the past year. Yvon Bonenfant
then presented a report on the activities of the America Region of the APF.
After that, the first of six work sessions began, each session with its own
topic.
The first
work session focussed on cooperatives as a tool for development and the
survival of francophone communities in North America. This topic was
presented by the Quebec Branch, and Branch Chair Henri-François Gautrin
acted as the rapporteur. This was the final report on the topic, which was
previously addressed in a status report.
During the
second session, Senator Andrée Champagne, Chair of the Canadian Branch,
presented her report, Culture as a Vector of La Francophonie.
At the third
work session, Chair of the Ontario Section Jean-Marc Lalonde presented ananalysis of Ontario’s francophone media.
The fourth
work session focussed on the New Brunswick Branch’s topic, A Language That
Travels, a Culture for Sharing, presented by Branch Chair Yvon Bonenfant.
At the fifth
work session, Senator Éric Lafleur, Louisiana Branch Chair, gave a
presentation on the French Language Services Act recently passed in
Louisiana.
Lastly, at
the sixth work session, Josée Bourgoin, local-product development and
interpretation coordinator, Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise,
presented the report Rural Revitalization through Locally Grown Products
on behalf of the Saskatchewan Branch.
After this
last session wrapped up, the parliamentarians adopted two resolutions moved by
the Quebec Branch: one on topics raised by the Americas Region branches during
annual regional assemblies; and the other on the cooperative movement as a tool
for development and the survival of francophone communities in North America.
Jean-Marc
Lalonde and the Regional Secretary were given the
mandate to work with the CEO of the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques
on establishing the Francophone Youth Parliament of the Americas.
At the
request of Senator Andrée Champagne, it was agreed that Chargé de
mission of the Americas Yvon Bonenfant would write to the APF
International Chair to ensure that the APF 2012 plenary session would not held
in June, notwithstanding the first Forum mondial de la langue française in
early July. The Canadian Branch Chair also pointed out that it would be
worthwhile to continue our efforts to have the deputies and senators in the
French parliament representing the French overseas territories in the Americas,
including Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, attend our regional sessions as observers.
At the
request of MNA Carole Poirier, Quebec Branch, it was agreed that from
now on, the follow-ups of resolutions adopted at the preceding Regional
Assembly would be systematically reported.
Respectfully submitted,
Hon. Andrée Champagne, Senator
Chair of the Canadian Branch of the
Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF)