2020 RVFFA Conference

Toward a thriving Francophonie

Winnipeg will welcome leaders from French-speaking communities throughout the Americas, as it plays host to the annual rendez-vous of the Francophone and Francophile Cities Network (FFCN) September 17 & 18, 2020. This year’s theme is Toward a thriving Francophonie.

Please note, information about the registration process and program will be available on the FFCN’s website. Save the date in your calendars and check the monthly newsletter for updates to keep you informed.

2020 invitation to attend the annual gathering

On behalf of Mayor Bowman, myself and my colleagues on Winnipeg City Council, the people of Winnipeg, and especially our vibrant francophone community, we welcome you to attend the Francophone and Francophile Cities Network gathering on September 17 & 18, 2020.

We’re very excited to have this opportunity to invite you to Winnipeg in 2020. This event has a special scope and significance, a crucial relevance for us, now, in a globalized world.

These gatherings give us a unique opportunity to share insights about history and heritage, language and culture, the promotion of tourism and economic development, and best practices in government. This kind of exchange helps us thrive – it equips us to offer more to our citizens, more to each other, more to la Francophonie, and more to the world as a whole.

We can’t wait to share with all of you the story of how our Franco-Manitoban community is woven into the larger story of la Francophonie, worldwide.

The great Gabrielle Roy, born in Winnipeg, once said: “Ideas often last but a day; feelings, dreams, almost forever.”

This is a truly rare, and captivating, insight. It says as much about communities, as individuals. Just like all of your communities, our Franco-Manitoban community endures and thrives today because we cherish a dream that is central to our lives: a dream which shaped us, shapes us, and continues to unfold today.

Our dream lives in the story of La Vérendrye’s heroic quest across North America. Our dream is a dream that shapes the Canadian federation to this day, through Louis Riel’s leadership as the founder and father of Manitoba.

Our dream takes the stage in the dramatic art of Le Cercle Molière, the oldest permanent theatre company in Canada. Our dream charms the city each year with sculpture and music and storytelling and cuisine and feats of outdoor endurance in the Festival du Voyageur, Western Canada’s largest winter festival.

Our dream inspires francophone entrepreneurs and immigrants, with the encouragement of innovative organizations like the World Trade Centre Winnipeg.

And, when you visit the Université de Saint-Boniface, you will see a campus where the dream of francophone higher education in Western Canada has borne fruit in excellence – a campus whose students and staff are a microcosm of la Francophonie, itself!

Our Franco-Manitoban community is diverse, vibrant, and strong. We’re a beacon for Western Canada, and an integral part of la Francophonie worldwide.

All of us Winnipeggers; all of us Francophones; all of us sharing a dream that is as old as the voyageurs, and as fresh and new as the latest work hanging in the Maison des artistes visuels francophones de Saint-Boniface.

La Francophonie is was what Gabrielle Roy knew could last forever – a living dream of hope all of us share; a dream all of us hold dear, in our hearts; a dream that all of us can build upon.

That’s why we can’t wait until you come visit us in Winnipeg, in September 2020. Because we have so much to show you, because our story is unique, but also because we share so much with you, too.

Councillor Matt Allard
City of Winnipeg
Council Francophone Liaison

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