Signing of three new agreements with the French Government

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien together with Prime Minister Alain Juppé of the French Republic today presided over a ceremony marking the signature of three France-Canada agreements in multimedia, sports and mutual legal assistance.

"France and Canada share common interests in a number of areas. As the agreements signed today attest, we are partners in strengthening our bilateral relations," said Mr. Chrétien.

Through the first agreement, the two governments will expand their co-operation to include cultural multimedia, particularly that of the French language. This agreement calls for the selection and implementation of co-operation projects in the cultural sector and for possible talks leading to a co-production agreement on joint cultural multimedia projects. It was co-signed jointly by Lucienne Robillard, interim Minister of Canadian Heritage, and Margie Sudre, Secretary of State responsible for la Francophonie.

Mrs. Robillard also signed, with the French Minister-Delegate for Youth and Sports, Guy Drut, an inter-departmental agreement on sports co-operation and exchanges. Along with anti-doping measures, the agreement provides for exchanges of expertise and personnel in a wide range of sectors, including sports social policy, the promotion of sportsmanship, measures to counter violence in sports, preparation for high-performance sports, and programs for disabled athletes and women athletes.

Justice Minister Allan Rock and the French Ambassador to Canada, Alfred Seifer-Gaillardin, signed a treaty on the recognition and execution of civil and trade decisions, the first of its kind for Canada with a civil law country. This convention, which will take effect as soon as the appropriate Canadian laws are passed, should facilitate the recognition and execution in France of Canadian court decisions on a number of matters, including family law issues such as divorce, alimony and child care. Under the convention, judicial co-operation between Canada and France will be promoted, and a large number of Canadians will benefit.