On Monday, November 7, Communauté francophone accueillante de Clare had the honour of co-hosting the Provincial Forum on the State of Francophone Immigration in Nova Scotia with its partner the Réseau en immigration francophone de la Nouvelle-Écosse at the Rendez-vous de la Baie Welcome Centre on the campus of Université Sainte-Anne.
Designed to kick off National Francophone Immigration Week, the gathering provided an opportunity for immigration stakeholders to converge, discuss achievements and challenges in their respective sectors, and envision the future of francophone immigration in the province.
The Honourable Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration, and the Honourable Colton LeBlanc, Minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, were also on hand to unveil the Action Plan for Francophone Immigration to Nova Scotia, which aims to boost the province's Francophone population by 2025.
"For those of you in the immigration field, I hope you'll take this message back to your workplace: rural communities like Clare are an increasingly attractive place to settle and grow for newly arrived families and can be a rewarding alternative to urban areas." Yvon LeBlanc, Warden of the Municipality of Clare.
Moderator Martin Théberge led a panel discussion on the state of Francophone immigration in Nova Scotia. In the photo (left to right): Moderator Martin Théberge, A.F. Theriault and Son's Stéphane LeBlanc, YMCA/Nouvelle-Écosse au travail's Nancy Hayes, the CDÉNÉ's Sandrine Mounier, Father Jurice Hospice Akoffodji, IFNÉ's Hajar Hajhouji and the FPANÉ / RANE's Mervat Ismail.
Marc-Alexandre Lagacy and Amy Paradis of Communauté francophone accueillante de Clare gave an overview of the IRCC-funded pilot project, which is managed by the Municipality of Clare's Community Development Department. They spoke about the mandate of CFA de Clare, some of the challenges it has faced and, most importantly, the impacts it has had on the community of Clare.
Delbine, "la fille à Rose-Alba," even stopped by after lunch to talk about the unique texture of rappie pie, the history of her big family and her first time in Halifax to find a job. Thank you, Anne LeBlanc!
Yalla Sangaré of Université Sainte-Anne gave a dynamic talk on the strategic issue of the ruralization of Francophone immigration.
Julie Léger from the firm Discutus gave a training session entitled The Best of My Organization for the Good of the Community.