For François Afane, Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie – known in English as Francophonie Month — is an opportunity to celebrate the French speakers of the NWT, and across Canada.
“We have francophone communities living with us in most of Canada,” he said. “We are a minority living with a majority, and we are included within the community.
“It’s good to remember that and to celebrate that beautiful language and that culture as well. That culture comes with diversity, because you have [people] from Europe, from South America, from Africa, from Asia. You have people from all over Canada. That diversity within the same language is something that I strongly support.”
Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie runs throughout March every year, but for Afane, improving the lives of francophones in the NWT and strengthening the territory’s French culture is a year-round activity.
Afane is the executive director of Conseil de développement économique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest (CDETNO), a Yellowknife-based organization that works with French speakers in the NWT in areas like employment, immigration, entrepreneurship, investment and tourism.
He has been with the organization since 2018.
“I think on a personal note, what gets me up and going, and what makes me show up for work every day is just the difference that we make in people’s lives, both within our communities and outside our communities,” he said. “We have an [impact] both territorially and nationally. CDETNO is the representative of the NWT at the national level, and we also have an impact supporting people who want to enter the labour force as employees, people who want to launch a business, and newcomers who are settling here with their families.
“We touch so many points. That’s the difference we make in people’s life. That’s what gets me going — me and my team.”
The topic of Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie was broached during the Feb. 28 session of the legislative assembly by Caitlin Cleveland, the territory’s minister of Education, Culture and Employment, as well as Industry, Tourism and Investment.
“The difference in GNWT French language communications and services from 10 years ago to today is immense,” Cleveland said, pointing to the creation of a Francophone Affairs Secretariat and the translation of 2.7 million words of government correspondence to French between 2022-2023 as examples of this progress.
Afane agrees that things are “trending positively” for French speakers in the territory.
“I would tend to agree with that, that things have improved – although sometimes we have to fight for it” he said. “Things are, on a positive note, becoming more inclusive and more welcoming. The francophone community [in the NWT] is also growing, and we are very, very happy with that.
“To see that language grow within the community and to see the support that we receive as a community growing, it’s something that is always positive.”
Still, Afane sees lots of room for improvement.
“Of course, as a francophone, as a minority, there’s always that struggle to make sure that we continue to grow and we don’t just disappear,” he said. “The nature of being a minority is that you’re always afraid that you can disappear, because what if the younger generation doesn’t follow through? What if they don’t pick up the language?”
“Am I optimistic? Yes. But am I also concerned? Yes. I’m a little concerned that it has to remain a constant fight to make sure that we maintain that francophone culture, and that it doesn’t disappear in the coming years.”
The number of NWT residents who are capable of having conversation in French, or who use French most often at work, recently reached an all-time high of nearly 4,400 people, according to the 2021 census.
In terms of the territory’s schools, there are more than 2,700 students enrolled in French second language programs this year.