Canadian Francophonie

Maybe you are a French-speaking high school student? Or maybe you know someone who is? It’s time for the French for the Future National Essay Contest.  Launched in 2005, the National Essay Contest promotes Canada’s official bilingualism and the immediate and lifelong benefits of learning and communicating in French to students from grades 7 to

Michel Jean is one of eight authors representing Canada this month at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest trade fair for books. Held in Germany every year since 1949, last year’s fair saw representation from 103 countries; with 4428 exhibitors promoting 400,000 book titles.  Jean’s most recent novel is Kukum, a coming-of-age story that

Francophone children in Southwestern Alberta will finally be able to go to school in their own language this fall. A new school, located in the MDM Community Centre in Bellevue, will serve students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 from Pincher Creek, Lundbreck, Crowsnest Pass, and surrounding communities, a large and sparsely populated area of the

After four decades of work by Franco-Ontarians to develop an autonomous French-language university, the Université de l’Ontario français (UOF) will open to its first group of students this fall.   The UOF’s 50,000-square-foot facility is located in the Daniels Waterfront complex on lower Jarvis Street in the heart of Toronto’s Innovation Corridor. It will offer

A text from Jill LeBlanc, French Immersion Language Arts Leader, Grades 7-12 for the Prince Edward Island Department of Education When we speak about linguistic duality in Canada, we acknowledge its value as “a cornerstone of our national identity” (OCOL). It represents both a great source of pride and a significant growth opportunity for each

It’s almost the end of March but there’s still time to enter the RVF’s contests. Join Captain Acadia for the elementary schools Spelling Challenge, Put your language skills to the test with Acadian Destinations, and don’t forget about the Kitchen Party! You can also have a look at the RVF Journal for more films, articles,

This week I decided to delve into Franco-Ontarian history. 108 years ago this week, the Ottawa-based newspaper, Le Droit, published its first issue. The paper was started by Charles Charlebois, Arthur Joyal, and a group of Oblate and Dominican priests calling themselves the “Association d’Education d’Ontario”. They were responding to a crisis; the imposition of

Have you voted in the RVF’s Kitchen Party contest yet? My favourite recipes were Annabelle Parent-Garcia’s pineapple upside-down cake (she’s been making this family favourite since she was 5 years old), Daniela Ana Ciorna’s cottage cheese- and raisin-filled pastry pies (branzoici / poale-n brâu), and Denise McCrea’s Poppy Seed Loaf. I would be happy to

It can be hard to find work these days, especially if you’re a young person. Canada’s January employment stats show that 19.7% of youth (15-24 years) are out of work, partly because the tourism and hospitality sectors have been deflated by the pandemic. This week I’m profiling just a few programs that may be valuable