"It is with great pleasure that I extend my warmest greetings to everyone observing and celebrating la Fête nationale de l’Acadie.

Each year, the festivities of August 15 are a very special occasion for Acadians. This day is a wonderful opportunity for these great Canadians to reaffirm their belonging to our country and to the entire French-speaking community. It also allows them to honour their rich and vibrant heritage.

The Acadian community has entered the new millennium in a resounding way. Its vitality is equaled only by its solidarity, as its representatives at the 2001 Games of La Francophonie so proudly showed. Acadians are more than ready to rise to the many challenges the future holds.