May 28, 2014
The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development:
Province Recognizes Francophonie Day
I rise today in this Honourable House to inform my colleagues that May 30 is Provincial Francophonie Day.
Mr. Speaker, in 1999, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador declared May 30 Provincial Francophonie Day. May 30 is a very symbolic date for the Francophone and Acadian community in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was on this date in 1987 that the first sod was turned on the site of the future Sainte-Anne School and Community Centre at Mainland on the Port au Port peninsula, which, of course, is the traditional heart of the province’s French-speaking community.
Depuis cette date, Monsieur le Président, les Francophones, les Acadiens et leurs nombreux amis et partenaires, y compris le gouvernement de Terre Neuve et Labrador, se réunissent tous les 30 mai pour lever le drapeau franco-terre-neuvien-et-labradorien qui exprime l’esprit et la ténacité de la communauté.
Our government will continue its long-standing tradition of partnering with the Francophone Federation of Newfoundland and Labrador to mark Provincial Francophonie Day with a flag-raising ceremony just outside of these doors. My colleague, the member for Port au Port and the only Francophone member of the House of Assembly will represent the Provincial Government at this event and will help raise the flag outside of Confederation Building.
Monsieur le Président, les élèves de l’école francophone locale, l’École des Grands-Vents, montreront leur fierté communautaire en faisant flotter de petits drapeaux et en se joignant à la chorale francophone, La Rose des Vents, pour chanter Ô Canada et l’hymne de Terre Neuve.
Last year, our government proudly signed a five-year federal-provincial agreement on the delivery of French-language services; recognized the late Emile Benoit, a well-known musician and storyteller from the Port au Port peninsula as a Person of Provincial Significance within the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program; and financially supported Festival Jeunesse de l’Acadie – a Francophone youth project held in Mainland on the Port au Port peninsula.
Mr. Speaker, l ask all members of this Honourable House to join me in congratulating the Francophone and Acadian community of Newfoundland and Labrador for its role in contributing to the tapestry of our province’s cultural diversity. We can all be proud to be part of our province’s past, present and exciting future.
Merci, Monsieur le Président.
2014 05 28 2:30 p.m.