The Journée internationale de la Francophonie

I think that everyone here knows how attached my government is to the Francophonie, and to developing and strengthening it. Canadians are more aware than ever before of how important it is for our country to have a dynamic profile within the large Francophone family.

Indeed, Canada's participation in the international French-speaking community is the logical extension of our country's linguistic make-up. More than 8 million people speak French in Canada, of whom almost 7 million have French as their mother tongue. In the current school year, 305,000 non-Francophone students are taking French immersion courses -- a record number -- and more than two million others are studying French as a second language.

As I am sure most of you know, I had the pleasure and the honour of heading the Canadian delegation to the Sixth Francophone Summit, which took place in Cotonou, Benin in December. It was a memorable experience. I would like to talk briefly about the objectives achieved by Canada at that meeting of 49 heads of state and government from the French-speaking community.

It was my first Francophone Summit, and what struck me especially was the open, cordial nature of exchanges among the heads of state and government and the constructive spirit in which the Summit took place.

I think I can say that Canada achieved the three main objectives it had set for itself.

The first addressed the need to follow through on the recommendations at the Halifax Summit to reform the U.N. and international economic institutions. The Cotonou Summit adopted a resolution on the effectiveness of development assistance and strengthening multilateral institutions for economic development.

Another objective was to give the Francophonie a more political dimension. We did so by adopting a series of resolutions of a political nature and creating the position of Secretary General of the Francophonie, a position which will be filled on the occasion of the Hanoi Summit in 1997. Also noteworthy is the Francophonie's commitment to prevent conflicts within its member countries, a commitment that is directly related to the solidarity that has developed among those countries over the years.

Our third objective addresses a challenge facing all countries in the Francophonie. It concerns the strengthening, vitality and influence of this language "we all share", and, through it, promoting the larger values of humanism and solidarity that it conveys.

Of course, we already have good tools to achieve those ends, such as TV5, the Agence de coopération culturelle et technique and the Association des Universités francophones, which are all tools that the Francophonie is trying to make even more dynamic, effective and innovative. We must do more, however, if we do not want our language to be marginalized.

The French language is, in effect, a medium through which many peoples have traced the path of their history. In this era of globalization, that path has become a highway: the information highway. The Cotonou Summit responded to that challenge and has resolutely steered the global Francophone community onto the information highway.

Through that action, the Francophonie is increasing its potential for interaction with the rest of the world, by gaining better access to what others have to offer and offering, in return, the very best of ourselves. Our language will thus be able to assume its rightful place.

You might say that the Francophonie has taken on quite an agenda. It's true, and I believe it is the only way to proceed in today's world. I am also convinced that we will have tangible results to present at the next summit.

Dear friends, that is what I wanted to tell you about the Cotonou Summit. The Francophonie is still very young, but it is very much aware of its responsibilities. I am convinced that it has a bright future ahead of it, one which it will be able to turn into reality.

In closing, I would not forgive myself if I did not salute the exceptional commitment to the Francophonie by Senator Jean-Robert Gauthier, who unfortunately cannot be with us today. The Senator is a great Francophile and is the Canadian Chairman and International Vice-Chair of the Assemblée Internationale des parlementaires de langue française. He has received numerous awards for his dedication and his support of the Franco-Ontarian community.

Thank you.