The RVF - Who we are

Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF) is part of the cultural events surrounding the Journée Internationale de la Francophonie (March 20), which is organized every year to promote the French language and the many ways it can be expressed!

The 21st edition of Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie will be held in 2019! It is an initiative of the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue, whose mandate is to promote dialogue and forge closer ties between the Francophone and Acadian communities and all other communities in Canada.

Nearly 9.5 million people in Canada keep the French language alive and share it with others. Most of these people live in Acadian communities or in Quebec and Ontario, but some of them live in western and northern Canada. Some are Francophones whose families have been in Canada for generations, and some are French‑speaking immigrants, while others are Anglophones or allophones who have chosen to learn French and immerse themselves in the language.

The RVF is a time for Canada’s Francophonie to celebrate! Hundreds of activities take place across Canada: community gatherings, multicultural meetings, ceremonies, performances, film screenings, word games, contests, educational activities—in short, a whole series of events that provide an excuse for celebrating.

By creating a directory of activities organized by Francophones and Francophiles across the country, the RVF conveys the tremendous energy of these communities and regions. By promoting these celebrations through the pan‑Canadian event calendar, the RVF invites you to join the party.

The RVF is an extraordinary opportunity to come together in celebration!

This year, we are highlighting the importance of our country’s official languages, the strength of those who speak these languages and their commitment to ensuring that bilingualism is entrenched as one of the fundamental values of our society. We are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act in 2019.

Through the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, and in a spirit of rapprochement and reconciliation with Indigenous communities, the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue will also celebrate Indigenous languages.

The visual design for 2019 takes a fresh new look at Francophone culture – as though we were looking at it through the eyes of a child, free from bias, with a sense of wonder, and, most of all, with an open mind.

The illustration shows two young girls, a symbol of future generations, who listen with awe to the sound coming from a seashell. Who hasn’t had the same experience during childhood? “Listen to the sound of the sea,” someone would say, handing us a seashell. It is also a nod to our Acadian communities and a reminder of our roots.

So many beautiful surprises await us when we take the time to listen, appreciate, understand, discover and share. This is how we grow and how we enrich ourselves culturally as a society.

Hon. Allister Surette, C.E.N.É., Chair
Rector and vice-chancellor
Université Sainte-Anne
Nova Scotia

Renée Champagne, Vice-President
Consultant
Ontario

Glen Taylor, Vice-President
Francophone Education Consultant Alberta

Suzanne Jacob, Treasurer
Chair of the Société de développement économique (SDE) de la Colombie-Britannique
British Columbia

Bernard Voyer, Vice-president
O.C., C.Q., Explorer
Quebec

Monique Collette, Secretary
Retired Public Servant
Ontario

Yvon Godin, Director
Consultant
New Brunswick 

Claire Thibideau, Director
Consultant in francophone education
Ontario

Chedly Belkhodja, Director
Teacher and Director, Concordia University
Québec

Paulette Duguay, Director
Consultant
Manitoba

Yves Ducharme, Director
Chair of Regroupement des gens d'affaires de la Capitale nationale
Québec

Jenny Matingu, Director
Consultant
Ontario

Georges Arsenault, Director
Historian, ethnologist and communicator
Prince Edward Island

Daphné Kathia Rosalber, LL.L, Director
Lawyer
Quebec

Jean Johnson, Director
Chair, FCFA du Canada

Alice Vincent
La Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique

Oriane Ruzibiza
Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

Marc Masson
L’Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise

Myriam Leclercq
Société de la francophonie manitobaine

Ngoné Diagne
Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario

Éric Dow
Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick

Giselle Thibault
Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse

Germain Arsenault
Fédération culturelle de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard

Claire Baude
Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador

Audrey Percheron
Association franco-yukonnaise

Maxime Faubert
Fédération franco-ténoise

Karine Baron
Association des francophones du Nunavut