Le ministre Jean-Marc Fournier à Moncton Minister Jean-Marc Fournier in Moncton: a mission focused on the Francophonie and the ongoing Québec-Canada dialogue

19 mars 2018

On February 23, 2018, Minister Jean-Marc Fournier was in Moncton, New Brunswick to present the Champlain award and sign a new agreement between Québec and the Société nationale de l’Acadie.

The Québec-Canada dialogue continued as the Minister discussed the Policy on Québec Affirmation and Canadian Relations with the university and business communities in the region. Mr. Fournier also took advantage of his trip to New Brunswick to engage in discussions with members of the government and meet the media.

Here is a review of this eventful mission.

Meeting with the business community and interview with Radio-Canada

The Minister began his mission at the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce, where he met with members of the board of directors and business leaders. The discussions focused mainly on ways to strengthen economic ties between Québec and New Brunswick and also, more generally, the Atlantic provinces.
Next, Mr. Fournier went to the Radio-Canada studio to record an interview with Michel Doucet for  Format libre. The topics covered included Québec-Acadie relations, Francophone immigration, the legalization of cannabis and the renewed dialogue between Québec and other Canadians, that the Policy on Québec Affirmation and Canadian Relations is calling for.

Renewal of the agreement with the  Société nationale de l’Acadie

The Minister’s next stop was the offices of the Société nationale de l’Acadie (SNA), where he officially signed the renewal of the Agreement between the Société nationale de l’Acadie and Québec.

The agreement, first signed in 2001, promotes closer consultation and collaboration between groups and citizens in Québec and Acadia, while contributing to the vitality of the French language in both areas. Journalists from the television of Radio-Canada and the daily newspapers  Acadie-Nouvelle, L’Étoile and  Times & Transcript were present to cover the signing of the agreement.

Meeting with members of the government

Jean-Marc Fournier went on to a meeting with New Brunswick’s Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Francine Landry. Their discussions covered the 2nd pan-Canadian Forum on Francophone Immigration, to be held on March 2, 2018 in Toronto, and the upcoming  Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie.

A discussion to build together the Canada of tomorrow at the University of Moncton

In a packed room at the University of Moncton, the Minister presented the  Policy on Québec Affirmation and Canadian Relations to the members of the university and business communities who had come specially to take part in the dialogue. The participants discussed the Francophonie, partnerships in the area of university research, and Québec’s vision for the future of the Canadian federation in the 21st century. A large part of the meeting was devoted to a dialogue with the audience. 

Presentation of the Champlain award for Francophone literature

The Minister ended his mission in Dieppe where he presented the 58th Champlain award, which celebrates French-Canadian literature. Marie Cadieux, an Acadian author from Moncton, and François Dimberton, a French illustrator, won the award this year for their children’s book Histoire de galet.

Several members of the government and political figures from the region were present at the award ceremony, including New Brunswick’s Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Francine Landry and Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Roger Melanson, the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, Jocelyne Roy Vienneau, France’s Consul General in Moncton, Laurence Monmayrant, and the mayor of Dieppe, Yvon Lapierre.