SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Francophonie Month

Honourable colleagues, March is the month of spring. It’s also Francophonie Month, and International Francophonie Day is celebrated every year on March 20.

With plenty of events like the Rendez-vous de la francophonie, this month is a time for celebrating the Acadian and francophone communities’ contributions to our country’s development. That’s why, year after year, we highlight the importance of the French language, as well as its richness, its vitality and the central place it holds in our identity and culture. We can be proud of that.

That said, Francophonie Month should not be seen as an event for francophones and francophiles only. The history of the francophonie transcends language boundaries and touches each and every one of us as Canadians. It has shaped our society, our relationships, our identity and our country’s political, economic, cultural and social development.

This March 20 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. It’s an opportunity to affirm that, beyond the language itself, the Francophonie provides a space for cooperation and collaboration on human rights.

With over 140 million women in its ranks, the Francophonie has created programs like the Réseau francophone pour l’égalité femme-homme to advocate for women’s rights. To mark the thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, it also passed a resolution reiterating its commitment to promoting and defending full respect for the rights of children.

It is also taking decisive action to ensure that the rights of the LGBTI community are respected.

Honourable senators, the Francophonie gives us a fantastic forum for discussion and reflection about ourselves, about our own relationship to human rights, here and around the globe. Now more than ever, we are being challenged to lead the way by ensuring respect for these basic rights here in Canada.

On March 20, I will be celebrating the Francophonie for offering the roughly 300 million French speakers around the world a space for dialogue and action on human rights.

I hope that I can count on every one of you to do the same. In fact, I dream of a day where one of my fellow citizens whose first language is not French might rise up, and loudly and proudly celebrate Francophonie Month and International Francophonie Day.

Thank you.

I wish everyone a happy Francophonie Month!