Honourable senators, the Société de la francophonie manitobaine was founded on December 5, 1968, and since then, Manitoba’s francophone community has fought, carved out a place for itself and grown in diversity. That sentence, which I found in the organization’s newsletter commemorating its fiftieth anniversary, perfectly describes the journey it has taken as the voice of the community since its foundation.

Manitoba’s francophone community has thrived with the support of this unifying, inclusive, visionary and fearless organization. The fight to have both French and English recognized as official languages of instruction in Manitoba or to receive more services in French hasn’t always been easy for francophones, but it has helped change attitudes. The SFM was able to gain support from the community and its organizations through its extensive involvement in major claims and public policy cases.

The SFM also actively participated in the creation of a number of community organizations, such as the Conseil jeunesse provincial, the Fédération des aînés franco-manitobains, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities, Santé en français, Accueil francophone, and more. Let’s also not forget the Centre de santé de Saint-Boniface and the Franco-Manitoban school division, which was created in 1994 in close co-operation with the Fédération provinciale des comités de parents. The creation of those two legacies helped shape Franco-Manitoban history.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the important role that the SFM played in the passage of Bill 26, the Université de Saint-Boniface Act, and Bill 5, the Francophone Community Enhancement and Support Act. The SFM will continue to proudly represent Manitoba’s francophone community and make sure it has a solid foundation on which to grow, develop and thrive.

In closing, my hope is that the SFM is able to celebrate this anniversary under a modernized linguistic framework that, as Linda Cardinal and Normand Labrie so eloquently put it, “recognizes that, in Canada, French is a language of the people and a language of diversity that reflects the history and hopes of francophones.”

Thank you.