COMMUNITY
The Maison de la Francophonie

The opening of the Maison de la
Francophonie on June 15, 1990 will go
down in the history of the francophone
community as a unique event. The
francophone community in British
Columbia finally has a place to call its
own - a place that brings together the
member associations of greater
Vancouver. The ribbon-cutting
ceremony took place in the presence of
a large number of distinguished guests
including the Secretary of State, Mr.
Gerry Weiner, the Commissioner of
Official Languages, Mr. D’Iberville
Fortier and the President of the Fédération
des Francophones Hors Québec, Mr.
Guy Matte, to name buta few. It should
be noted that in recognition of this
important occasion, the Fédération des
Francophones Hors Québec held their
annual general meeting in Vancouver.

The eyes of the francophone community
in Canada were most definitely turned
towards British Columbia for this
exceptional gathering.

For the Fédération, the move to the
Maison de la Francophonie brought some
sweeping changes. First of all, the
Fédération took this opportunity to
freshen its image and display its new
colours - blue and grey - on all its
stationery and promotional materials.
Italsochanged the format of the internal
newsletter, “Le Trait d’union,” and
purchased a new display booth that
member associations can use for their
activities promoting French. Moreover,
association with the Maison de la
Francophonie means that the Fédération
will benefit from a higher regional,
provincial and national profile in its
mission to promote, represent and defend
the rights and interests of francophones
in British Columbia.

Annual Report 1990-1991

An interview with Marie Bourgeois, President of the FFC.

The President’s Tour

Once again this year, the President’s tour
took her to Vancouver and outlying areas
to discuss the major issues affecting the
francophone community and to explain
how the Fédération functions. The tour
began in September 1990 and continued
through until February 1991, during which
period twelve member associations were
visited. We believe that these meetings
are useful for our entire network and help
to establish firm ties between the Fédération
and its member associations.

Training Sessions and Specific
Assistance

The training of permanent staff members
and volunteers within the network was a
constant priority throughout this past year.
To this end, training permanent staff
members within the network in the
management of non-profit organizations
was a first in British Columbia. More than
thirty permanent staff members took part
in this four-day training session. Workshops

on recruiting volunteers and how to
deal with the media were also set up.
Whether through training human
resources, offering instruction in the
management of non-profit organizations,
or through providing frequent specific
assistance to member associations that
call upon the expertise of Fédération
staff members, we feel we have
significantly contributed to community
and cultural development.

CULTURE

The Beginnings of Serious
Deliberation

Everyone involved in the artistic and
cultural community will agree that 1990
and 1991 were truly vintage years. First,
the Fédération compiled a document
entitled “Le Printemps des décisions”
which provided an outline of the
francophone cultural profile in British
Columbia. The Fédération subsequently
undertook the logistical organization of
a dialogue that took place on April 20,

La Fédération des Franco-Colombiens