POLITICS The Election Period and the Advent of an NDP Government The Fédération took on a proactive role during the provincial election last fall. First of all, it developed and implemented a strategy to raise candidates’ awareness of the existence of our francophone community, primarily through the distribution of a bilingual information sheet entitled “Faits saillants sur la communauté francophone de la Colombie-Britannique - A Few Facts about Francophones in British Columbia”. This promotional tool has prompted a great deal of interest and is now included in all information kits on our community. The Constitutional Debate During the month of August 1991, the F.F.C. presented a report before the British Columbia Select Standing Committee on Constitutional Matters and Intergovern- mental Relations. This committee was studying the issue of constitutional reform within our province. The F.F.C. report, which was distributed throughout our association network, provided a comprehensive description of why linguistic duality is important and dispelled the myths surrounding bilingualism. However, it did not represent the official position of our community with regard to constitutional reform - our position was yet to be established. F.F.C.’s Constitutional Position At the 1991 annual general meeting, the Fédération was mandated to consult with the British Columbia francophone community on all constitutional reform initiatives before adopting an official position. Thediscussions took place between October 29 and November 6, 1991 in Kelowna, Prince George, Victoria and in Vancouver where they were concluded. In preparation for this consultation, almost 3,500 copies of a background paper on constitutional reform were distributed throughout our network. This document included a in-depth analysis of the 28 federal constitutional proposals presented in September 1991 under the title “Shaping Canada’s Future Together”. A form was added to this package which allowed Annual Report 1991-1992 Marie Bourgeois, President, and (to her right) United Native Nations President, Ernie Crey, announcing the participation of the F.F.C. in the First Peoples’ Forum on the Constitution. individuals who could not attend the meetings to contribute to the discussions. At the Fall 1991 meeting of the Council of Presidents, the community adopted its official position. This policy statement allowed us to prepare the first position paper dealing with the francophone community in British Columbia in relation to proposed constitutional reform. On January 27, 1992, the Fédération des Franco-Colombiens presented this brief to the Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada, known as the Beaudoin-Dobbie Committee. Five constitutional conferences followed which were also significant steps in the development of this committee’s report. Along with the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, the Fédération took on a very active role at the Toronto conference dealing with the issue of linguistic duality and at the Vancouver conference - which was dubbed a wrap-upconference. On the following February 28, the Beaudoin-Dobbie Committee filed its final report. The Fédération found it tobe asolid base to work from, particularly the clause dealing with the vitality and development of minority francophone communities. La Fédération des Franco-Colombiens Political Lobbying Campaign In order to ensure that the federal and provincial governments adopt the recommendations contained in the Beaudoin-Dobbie report, the Fédération undertook an intensive political lobbying campaign. Within the framework of this campaign, the F.F.C. sent out a bulk mailing on its constitutional position to all MLAs and Cabinet ministers in the British Columbia Legislature and to all MPs representing constituencies in this province. At the provincial level, the Fédération des Franco-Colombiens met with Dr. Tom Perry, Minister for Advanced Education, Training and Technology and Mr. Moe Sihota, Minister for Constitutional Affairs. Furthermore, the F.F.C. had discussions with Mr. Ian Waddell, Mr. Svend Robinson and Ms. Margaret Mitchell - all of whom are federal New Democratic MPs - as well as with Mr. John Fraser, Speaker of the House of Commons and _ federal Conservative MP for theriding of Vancouver South. The F.F.C. also met with the Liberal Official Languages Critic, Jean-Robert Gauthier, during his visit to Vancouver.