Presentation at the University of Toronto Scarborough
Last Friday, I went to the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus to deliver a speech about “The New Face of Ontario’s Francophonie” to students in their first year at the Centre for French & Linguistics.
This faculty offers French, linguistics and languages courses to help students prepare for entry into programs in areas with a significant language component, such as speech-language pathology, education, and language teaching. The faculty also aims to raise awareness of structural and socio-cultural differences between French and English among students. My presentation aimed at raising awareness of the richness and complexity of Francophone cultures and at emphasizing the way they contribute to the Ontarian society.
As stated in my 2011-2012 Annual Report, nearly a third of Francophones in Central Ontario were born outside of Canada, compared with nearly 50% in Toronto. This presentation was therefore a great opportunity for me to discuss the importance of the new Inclusive Definition of Francophone (IDF) in Ontario.
Most questions that were raised by students were about the IDF. An interesting fact: many of these students are Francophones according to the IDF. Some students in attendance already defined themselves as Francophones and therefore didn’t need the IDF to confirm this. However, other students who didn’t consider themselves Francophones actually are according to the IDF. These students therefore contribute to the vitality of the Ontarian Francophonie.
It was a terrific experience to meet these students who study languages with passion and make them part an integral of their future. I wish to congratulate the staff of University of Toronto’s Centre for French & Linguistics for their commitment and efforts in raising awareness of the new face of our Ontarian Francophonie among citizens.