The Welcome Mat

September 3, 2013

SELINGER WELCOMES MINISTERS FOR CANADIAN FRANCOPHONIE TO MANITOBA

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Federal, Provincial, Territorial Ministers Gather in Winnipeg for Annual Conference

The 18th annual Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie begins tomorrow morning in Winnipeg and representatives from federal, provincial and territorial governments will be meeting over the next few days to discuss issues important to francophone communities across the country, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
The conference begins tomorrow morning with the first session on early childhood development.  Other sessions will focus on economic development and job creation.  The conference is being held in Manitoba for the third time since its creation in 1994 and was last held in this province in 2003.
“It’s always an honour to be able to host colleagues from across the country in our province,” said Selinger.  “This conference is an excellent opportunity to talk about our common goals and challenges in preserving the French language and French culture across Canada for the benefit of all Canadians.”
In addition to the conference sessions, ministers will attend an event at Fort Gibraltar in St. Boniface on Wednesday.  The evening will showcase local artists and provide opportunities for francophone leaders to interact with delegates and ministers from other jurisdictions and to meet the new executive director for the Manitoba Francophone Affairs Secretariat, Mélanie Cwikla, who was appointed to the position Aug. 26.  Cwikla is joining the secretariat after spending over 10 years heading Translation Services for the province and, in recent years, also overseeing the Archives of Manitoba, the Manitoba Legislative Library and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
Ministers are gathering in Winnipeg this evening for a reception at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.

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