Happy Francophonie Month!

March is Francophonie Month —a time to celebrate Francophone culture, language and heritage which have deep roots in Ottawa. Today, the City kicked off the month with a proclamation to recognize the many contributions Francophones have made to the cultural, economic growth, bilingualism and prosperity of our city.

To celebrate, the City will be hosting the 17th annual Mayor’s Francophone RendezVous on Thursday, March 21, 2024. The RendezVous is an opportunity for members of Ottawa’s francophone community to come together, network, share ideas and strengthen connections. This year we will welcome representatives from Ottawa’s Francophone and bilingual post-secondary educational institutions and celebrate the role they have played in supporting our city as a destination to live, learn and work.

There are many additional ways to take part in Francophonie Month, including attending events and accessing a variety of resources to learn more about Francophone culture.

Our colleagues at the Ottawa Public Library, the largest French and English bilingual public library in North America, are celebrating with French film screenings, a list of French authors to discover, a story telling workshop for children and lively discussions with local Francophone authors. 

Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF) highlights hundreds of activities that are planned across the country, including multicultural gatherings, performances, film screenings, contests, and educational activities in French throughout the month of March. For more, be sure to check out the events calendar on the RVF website.

We also encourage you to explore some of the resources and programs available to City employees. You can:

  • Join the Francophone Affinity Group to connect with colleagues, discuss shared experiences and explore the Francophone culture   
  • Subscribe to the French Language Services’ FrancoForum newsletter, which features information about Francophone history, events and resources
  • Explore the French Language Services toolbox for bilingual tools and templates, useful resources for customer service and public engagement, and information on translation and simultaneous interpretation services
  • Take the One City, two languages training to receive practical tips for making an active offer in your day to day work, even if you are not bilingual

The City is proud to recognize and honour the Francophone community who are integral in shaping our city. We hope you will take time this month to learn more about Francophone heritage and culture and its impact on Ottawa.

Happy Francophonie Month!

Mark Sutcliffe (he/him/lui)
Mayor

Wendy Stephanson (she/her/elle)
City Manager

This post is also available in French.

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