Franco-Ontarian Day

Sunday, Francophones and Francophiles in Ontario will be celebrating. Indeed, September 25 is Franco-Ontarian Day.

It’s a day when green and white will be proudly displayed across all parts of Ontario to celebrate and recognize the contribution of  the Francophone community to the cultural, historical, social, economic and political life of the province. In Toronto, even the CN Tower will be highlighting our proud contributions!

In fact, the celebrations have already begun. One of those celebrations was a get-together organized by the network of Francophone public service employees of the Government of Ontario (FrancoGo) that I attended with my daughter, Sabrina, and spouse, Lucie. I truly enjoyed the comedy sketches and musical performances. Congratulations to this highly creative and talented group of public sector employees!

Finally, this morning, I had the honour of taking part in a ceremony celebrating the Franco-Ontarian flag organized by the ACFO/AFO Régionale Hamilton. It was the first time in Hamilton that our emblem was placed alongside the Canadian maple leaf and the flag of Ontario. Truly, this was a historic moment.

Addressing a municipal chamber filled to capacity with both young and old, deputy mayor Brian Hattie expressed his wish that this gesture be more than symbolic. Indeed, the deputy mayor believes it is important to rebuild permanent ties with Hamilton’s Francophone community in order to provide services that address their needs, in particular those of recent immigrants. This message received a warm welcome.

Celebrating our flag and Franco-Ontarian Day allow us to hold such events — events that strengthen our feelings of belonging and pride. That’s why I had no hesitation to interrupt my parental leave (not to be confused with a vacation… which has nothing to do with the challenges of raising a child!) to travel to Hamilton, a community that helped inspire the Ontario Government to adopt a more inclusive definition of Francophone.

Enjoy the celebrations, and to all, I wish you a happy Franco-Ontarian Day!