Live in French in Iqaluit

Duration: 3:29 minutes

Soft music begins in crescendo. Text appears on a white background: “Welcoming Francophone communities support the integration of newcomers in French.”

We see an aerial image of the City of Iqaluit. It cuts to a long shot of a small house on a hill. The sun is rising on the horizon. It shifts back to another aerial image of the city. A map of Nunavut appears over the image with the text:

Iqaluit
Nunavut
Over 15% of the population speaks French.

The image cuts to a long shot of several coloured houses. A man is then seen walking on the tundra. He is seen looking to the horizon. Then, standing, he looks at the camera. Text appears over the image:

Christian Ouaka
Director
Association des francophones du Nunavut

Christian Ouaka: When I arrived in Canada, I had always wanted to discover Northern Canada. I immediately liked it here in Iqaluit.

The image continues with a scene of Christian and a colleague talking and laughing in Christian’s office. Then, back to Christian walking on the tundra. We then see Christian sitting in a small room speaking directly to the camera.

Christian Ouaka: The Association des francophones du Nunavut is the voice of the Francophone community in the territory. The vision of the organization is really to establish a strong Francophone community. When we arrive somewhere unfamiliar, there’s always a bit of fear of not being understood, of not being able to access certain services. But life in French in the territory is very dynamic.

A woman is seen writing a newspaper in French. The image then shifts to a woman in a studio hosting a radio show. The image cuts to Christian speaking with the city’s police chief.

Christian Ouaka: Many French-language services are available in the community to meet the needs of Francophones.

We then see a sign reading: “Qikiqtani General Hospital.” It cuts to a long shot of the hospital. Text appears over the image:

The Réseau de santé en français au Nunavut offers a translation service to obtain care in French.

The image shifts to an aerial view of the city of Iqaluit. A boat is seen anchored offshore. Images are then seen of a woman walking on the tundra. It cuts to an aerial view of the tundra with the sun setting in the distance. The woman looks directly at the camera. Text appears over the image:

Charlotte Lapôtre
Coordinator
Carrefour Nunavut

Charlotte Lapôtre: For people who like adventure, who like to explore, there’s a lot to do, a lot of opportunities, a lot of places to discover.

The image cuts to a long shot of downtown Iqaluit. The image shifts to Charlotte arriving at the Carrefour Nunavut office. She is seen working at her desk. On the desk, a small sign reads: “Services available in French.” The image shifts to Charlotte and Christian leading a networking activity in the school gymnasium. An Inuit woman is seen performing a traditional dance. She is then seen talking with other participants at the activity. The image cuts to Charlotte speaking directly to the camera.

Charlotte Lapôtre: At Carrefour Nunavut, we offer various services for Francophone newcomers. We support newcomers in their search for work and also do a lot of networking activities. There’s also a lot of support from the Nunavut government. There are a lot of programs to support entrepreneurs, a lot of support and a lot of funding. I think we all need that in our lives, something that drives us and motivates us to go further.

The image shifts to an aerial view of the snow-covered tundra. Text appears over the image:

Nunavut is the official territory of the Inuit in Canada. Except for the City of Iqaluit, 85% of the population is Inuit.

The image shifts to an aerial view of the French-language school in Iqaluit. A woman is seen working on a computer at her desk. The woman is then standing in a classroom and looking directly at the camera. Text appears on screen:

Linda Leclerc
Executive Director
Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut

Linda Leclerc: I’ve always found it worthwhile to try to make a difference, to offer quality services to Francophone minority communities.

Linda is walking in a hallway at the school. There is a sign that reads: “Here, we speak French.” A teacher and children are then seen in a classroom. The image then cuts to Linda speaking directly to the camera. Behind her is the logo of the Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut.

Linda Leclerc: The Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut plays a key role in protecting the French language. We’re also an employer of choice. We have extremely diverse jobs, and we offer really competitive benefits, starting with salaries.

Children are then seen playing on a frozen lake. Through the buildings, a “Canadian North” aircraft is seen landing. The image cuts to a long shot of the City of Iqaluit, then an aerial view of the city. The image shifts to Linda walking near the school. It cuts to the sign on the school building reading “ École des Trois-Soleils.” The image shifts to a classroom scene where young children are seen playing board games. It returns to Linda speaking to the camera, then an image of the teacher laughing with the young people. It then cuts to a montage of several views of buildings in the city.

Linda Leclerc: We offer airline tickets from Ottawa. There’s also a housing bonus or subsidized housing. There’s a diversity of people. We have Inuit families, families from the provinces and territories of Canada. We also have families from overseas, so Francophones from outside Canada. We see that community in both our staff and our students. The expansion project will allow us to offer programming from kindergarten to Grade 12.

The image cuts to a long shot of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly. Text appears over the image:

Nunavut recognizes 3 official languages: Inuktitut, English and French.

It continues with an image of a painting on a concrete wall representing Indigenous peoples. The image cuts to the Nunavut flag flapping in the wind. The image shifts to an aerial view of a small gravel road crossing the tundra. Text appears over the image:

Mining, arts and culture, tourism, and green industries support the local economy.

It cuts to an aerial view of the tundra. Text appears over the image:

Find out more about services in French:
afnunavut.ca.

The music stops. The department’s signature, a small Canadian flag, appears on a white background with the text “Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Immigration” and “Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada.” The Government of Canada signature is shown: the Canadian flag flying against a white background.