Live in French in Évangéline

Duration: 3:25 minutes

Soft music builds to a crescendo. On a white background, a text appears: "Welcoming Francophone communities foster the integration of newcomers in French."

We see an aerial view of a country road along the coast of Prince Edward Island. Cut to an overview of the Cape Egmond lighthouse. Then, an aerial view of the lighthouse. Next, an image of a country road. A text appears on this image:

“Évangéline region
Prince Edward Island
Around 50% of the population speaks French.”

We cut to an aerial shot of several small roadside houses. We then cut to an image of Yvonne walking through the Acadian Museum on Prince Edward Island. A sign reads: "LES ACADIENS DE L'ÎLE une communauté et son histoire." Then, we see Yvonne browsing the exhibition. Then we see her outside, in front of the museum. She looks directly at the camera, laughing. A text appears on the screen:

« Yvonne Gallant
Président
Coopérative d’intégration francophone de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard »

Yvonne Gallant: The French-speaking community in the Évangeline region has Acadian roots. There's no doubt that music is a tradition, a culture that has remained in our community.

We see a fiddler and a guitarist playing an Acadian song in a small cabin. Then, we see Yvonne looking out to sea. This is followed by an aerial view of the red rock along the island's coastline. We cut to an aerial view of a small village in the Évangeline region. Next, we see Yvonne speaking directly to the camera. Finally, she is seen chatting with other members of the community near the cabin.

Yvonne Gallant: We owe it to our ancestors, but we also owe it to certain people in the region who have kept the folklore and culture very much alive. When newcomers arrive and can express themselves in French, I think the aspect of being able to offer their French, their culture, is something that gives a lot to the community.

Still near the same house, a little boy kicks a ball with his father. We cut to an overall shot of several picturesque little houses on the edge of a lake. Then, a lighthouse is seen on the edge of a beach.

Yvonne Gallant: The island lifestyle is very relaxing. On Prince Edward Island, there's less traffic than you'd see in a major urban center. The sea is close to almost every town and village.

We cut to an image of Bonnie working at her desk on a laptop. Then, she stands in front of an office building and looks at the camera, smiling. A text appears on the screen:

“Bonnie Gallant
Director
Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard”

Bonnie Gallant: The Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité and the Coopérative d’intégration francophone are very close partners. We work together to ensure that the needs of all newcomer are met.

We see a general shot of a field with red soil. Then we cut to a man fishing in a river. Next, we see a seafood processing plant with a fishing boat in the foreground. This is followed by an aerial shot of a field. Next, we see a farmer walking through the field. She pulls out a potato that has been planted in the ground and shows it to the camera. Then, we see a man talking.

Bonnie Gallant: The Coopérative d’intégration francophone, supports the newcomer directly, whereas we at the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité work mainly with companies and entrepreneurs to prepare them to welcome newcomers into their businesses.

We then see an image of several flags in the colors of the Acadian flag (blue, white, red). A text appears over this image:

"The main sectors of economic activity are fishing, agriculture, food processing, health and education."

We continue with an aerial image of the region's French-language school. Teachers can be seen assisting primary school children on their laptops.

Bonnie Gallant: The only French-language college in the province is headquartered here. We also have a K-12 school, so there are lots of job opportunities in the education sector.

This is followed by an aerial image of a school bus driving through the streets of a small village. Text appears on this image:

“A French-language education service is available throughout the island.”

We see a teacher giving a lecture to several students at the college. Then, we see Bonnie speaking directly to the camera in a conference room. Then, in an aerial view, we see the town of Summerside.

Bonnie Gallant: The Francophonie shines here on Prince Edward Island. It's growing, it's evolving, it's changing. When another Francophone joins us, we have a lot to learn from them. And it makes me proud, it makes me proud to see my Francophonie evolve, my Francophonie change. It enriches us.

Then there's a lettering insert on a door. It reads: Réseau Santé. A woman opens the door and enters the office. Then we cut to an image of Marie Paule standing in front of her house. She looks directly at the camera, smiling. A text appears on this image:

“Marie-Paule Elomo
Administrative assistant
Réseau Santé en français de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard”

We then move on to a scene in which we see Marie-Paule working on her computer at her workplace.

Marie-Paule Elomo: I always say: this place chose me, I didn't choose it. French is my first language. When I arrived here, I saw the importance of living in a French-speaking community.

We cut to an overall shot of a field that scrolls across the screen. Then, a tractor drives along a small dirt road. We then see a long shot of the Confederation Bridge. Two women dance and laugh in front of the Confederation Bridge. We cut to a two-storey house by the sea. Then we see a sign reading "Wellington". We cut to an image of Marie-Paule with her two daughters. They look directly at the camera, smiling. Then we see them playing soccer. The scene concludes with Marie-Paule standing in her living room, speaking directly to the camera.

We cut to an overall shot of a field that scrolls across the screen. Then, a tractor drives along a small dirt road. We then see a long shot of the Confederation Bridge. Two women dance and laugh in front of the Confederation Bridge. We cut to a two-storey house by the sea. Then we see a sign reading "Wellington." We cut to an image of Marie-Paule with her two daughters. They look directly at the camera, smiling. Then we see them playing soccer. The scene concludes with Marie-Paule standing in her living room, speaking directly to the camera.

Marie-Paule Elomo: I'm talking about people who are ready to help, people who are always there if there's a problem. What makes me proud to be part of this community is to see my children grow up with love, with sharing, with the spirit of community. This community still has what we call love, humanism, because they understand you, they adapt to you as you adapt to them.

An image of the rocky coastline on the edge of the ocean comes into view. We cut to an image of a lighthouse, then an ox in a field. We cut to an aerial image of several small country houses. A text appears on this image:

"For more information on services in French: regionevangeline.com"

The music stops. On a white background, we see the department's symbol, a small Canadian flag with the text: "Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada". We see the Government of Canada symbol: the Canadian flag flying on a white background.