For the 13th year the Francophonie movement is gaining momentum in this province with 22 communities now celebrating their French Canadian heritage.
A special ceremony was held at Ă©cole la Mission in Heritage Lakes on Friday to raise the Franco-Albertan flag, featuring a wild rose and the fleur-de-lis.
Last year there were only 17 communities participating in National French Canadian Heritage Week, otherwise known as Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie.
Local organizer Guylaine Jacques originally hoped to have the crowd of 300 assemble at St. Albert Place like it did last year. However inclement weather forced a change of plans. She’s pleased the school was able to accommodate them.
“Everything went well,” she said, confident the event is gaining momentum and popularity locally and across the province and country.
“We worked very hard, especially this year with the 150th anniversary celebration of St. Albert. The town of St. Albert was built by francophones.”
The group of special guests and resident students at école la Mission was joined by others from école Father Jan and école Alexandre-Taché.
The flag raising is an initiative of the L’Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA), the organization that started in 1926 and bills itself as the official voice of the francophone community in the province.
This one demonstration of unity and identity is meant to rally the province’s francophone population to keep its history alive and preserve it for the future. Last year, more than 4,000 people attended ceremonies across Alberta including similar celebrations in Legal and Morinville.
According to ACFA, there are nearly 70,000 Albertans whose mother tongue is French with a provincial estimate of 225,000 who speak the language.
“In general we long to share with the rest of the population that francophones are here in Alberta and we can share the territory. We’re very proud to be francophone and bilingual in Alberta.”
There are numerous events happening as a part of the Rendez-vous, many organized by the schools themselves. The 16-day celebration culminates with International Francophonie Day on March 20.
Visit www.rvf.ca or francophone.alberta.ca for more information and details about events being held in conjunction with Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie across the province.
