Live in French in Labrador City-Wabush

Duration: 2:50 minutes

Soft music builds to a crescendo. Words appear against a white backdrop: “Welcoming Francophone communities support the integration of newcomers in French.”

An aerial view of the town of Wabush is shown. This cuts to a shot of a man on top of a mountain taking a picture of Labrador City. This is followed by an aerial shot of Labrador City. On this image, a map of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador appears, along with the following words:

“Labrador City-Wabush
Newfoundland and Labrador
Approximately 10% of the population of Labrador City-Wabush speaks French.”

A residential neighbourhood is shown, followed by images of Lise, walking on a golf course. She then stands before Lake Wabush. She looks directly at the camera. Words appear on the image:

“Lise Boucher
President
Association francophone du Labrador”

Lise Boucher: At the hospital, I interpret for those who don’t speak English.

An aerial shot of a forest of evergreen trees is shown, and cuts to images of Lake Wabush, followed by images of Crystal Falls. These are followed by images of Lise golfing.

Lise Boucher: It’s peaceful here. You can access everything quickly. Why do people stay? For fishing, hunting and downhill skiing. The track and the golf course are both 10 minutes from here.

An aerial shot of the golf course is shown. The following words appear on this image:

“There are approximately 250 businesses in Labrador City-Wabush.”

An aerial shot of a residential area of the town is shown. There are several small houses in it. Then a shot of several photographs hanging on the wall is shown, followed by a scene in which Lise is drinking coffee with other people. We then see Lise standing in the Association’s offices, speaking directly to the camera.

Lise Boucher: The Association is very important. First, it’s important to keep our language, to keep our culture, to share it with others, too. Second, it’s important to be able to get together with people who think a bit like we do.

This is followed by an aerial shot of the school. We see Chloé reading a book to a child in a classroom. We then see her in front of a school. She is looking directly at the camera and smiling. The following words appear on this image:

“Chloé Tinkler
Principal
ENVOL school”

Chloé Tinkler: It’s important that Francophones who come here are able to educate their children in a French language school.

The video continues with a scene in which children are playing in a school yard. Some are swinging and others are playing basketball. This cuts to an aerial shot of the school, with the Canadian, Labrador and Francophonie flags in the background. Words appear on this image:

“The ENVOL school offers the French as a first language program from kindergarten to grade 12.”

We see Chloe again in a classroom with children. Some students are doing French learning exercises in teams. Chloe then addresses the camera directly in a classroom.

Chloé Tinkler: Here, at school, we make sure that students can fully experience their cultural identity. We want them to be proud of who they are. It’s an advantage to send your child to a French-language school in a Francophone minority community, because at the end of their schooling, they have the best chance of being fully bilingual.

An overview of the school is shown, with a school bus passing in front of it. We then see Chloé talking on the telephone in her office and then working on her computer.

Chloé Tinkler: For me, that was a great thing. I was able to take on a management position very early in my career because I was as much a French speaker as I am an English speaker.

We continue with an overview of the building that houses the offices of the Association francophone du Labrador. Célian is walking in front of it. We then see him standing in front of the building. He is looking at the camera and smiling. The following words appear on the image:

“Célian Lézer
Volunteer from France
Association francophone du Labrador”

This is followed by an aerial shot of the town of Labrador City, and cuts to a group of motorcyclists on a dirt road not far from town. There is a water tower with “Labrador City” written on it. This cuts to Célian working in his office, followed by a shot of the school during the Journée de la francophonie celebrations. A group of children are singing while others look on and applaud.

Célian Lézer: I’m not really a city person and I really enjoy nature. When I saw this town planted in this little valley of mountains and lakes, I fell in love with it. What's more, when you get here, people talk to each other in the street, they take their time, people bump into each other in the store, they chat. There’s truly a closeness, even between strangers, where people are open and very welcoming. If you need help, all you have to do is ask, and that really surprised me.

An aerial shot of several small houses is shown. The following words appear on the image:

“Labrador City-Wabush has a population of approximately 9,000 people.”

Célian addresses the camera directly in an office. Then we see children waving small French Labrador flags in front of the school, followed by other children raising the flag.

Célian Lézer: You have everything you need here. What’s more, I find the town extremely active. There are always events; there’s always something going on. You can find everything you need here, including personal fulfilment.

This cuts to an image of City Hall with several flags on a flagpole. The following words appear on the image:

“For more information on services in French: francotnl.ca”

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.