Live in French in Moose Jaw-Gravelbourg

Duration: 3 minutes 27 seconds

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

The sun rises over the snow-blanketed plains of Saskatchewan. We see an aerial shot of a road leading to Moose Jaw. A car is driving is on the road. Over the image, we see a map of Saskatchewan with the title:

“Moose Jaw and Gravelbourg
Saskatchewan
Nearly 10% of the Moose Jaw and Gravelbourg population is of immigrant origin.”

We see an aerial image of Moose Jaw. Text appears over this image:

“Moose Jaw and Gravelbourg have paired up to promote the region.”

The scene cuts to an image of Chantal who is going into a convention centre. She is walking in a hallway in the convention centre. We then see her standing in a gymnasium. She looks directly into the camera. Text appears on screen:

“Chantal Morin
Coordinator
Welcoming Francophone Community of Moose Jaw and Gravelbourg”

We then see Chantal giving a talk in front of a small crowd of people.

Chantal morin: Moose Jaw is the fourth most populous city in Saskatchewan. And Gravelbourg is a key community owing to its Francophone culture and history in Saskatchewan.

The scene transitions to an image of a road sign that reads: “Bienvenue à Gravelbourg.” We cut to an image of a field with grazing cows, then to an aerial view of a residential neighbourhood in Gravelbourg. Text appears over this image:

“Farming makes up the lion’s share of the local economy.”

We see cows trotting in a field. We cut to an wide shot of a street with a school bus that drives by. We then transition to a sign on a building that reads: “Centre scolaire et communautaire de Moose Jaw.” We cut to an image of children and adults taking part in a mandala drawing workshop in the school gym. We see a poster that reads: “Communauté Francophone Accueillante Saskatchewan.” We then transition to a video sequence showing a number of young newcomers painting mandalas. We see Chantal leading the activity at the head of the table. The sequence continues, showing other people drawing their mandalas and smiling.

Chantal morin: Saskatchewan is largely an Anglophone province. However, we have many services in French and we have a number of community organizations that organize activities and offer opportunities to live in French, play in French and enjoy life in French. It’s almost like a family. People are warm and know each other very well. It’s really great to see!

We continue with a wide shot of main street. Cars are driving on the road. We cut to an aerial view of main street and then again to two men walking down the street. We transition to a wide shot of a house and then another. We are then shown a wide shot of Moose Jaw City Hall. We transition to two aerial images of Moose Jaw.

Chantal morin: Another advantage of living in Moose Jaw or Gravelbourg: the cost of living is much lower here than elsewhere in Canada. The houses are more affordable. We don’t have a housing shortage. We have easy access to housing here, in this area.

We then see Jeannine preparing decorations for a Black History Month booth at a school. We cut to an image of Jeannine standing and looking directly into the camera. Text appears over this image:

“Jeannine Machozi Dhesi
Treasurer
Association communautaire fransaskoise de Moose Jaw”

We see an aerial view of Buffalo Pound Provincial Park. We then see deer walking on a snow-covered plain.

Jeannine machozi dhesi: What we do is simply ensure that the French language is promoted in the Moose Jaw community. The association puts on a lot of activities for kids, from outings and picnics to games.

Then, in an arena, we see a child donning a helmet. A woman helps him to lace up his ice skates. We see a number of newcomers who are learning to skate. A father is filming his son with his cell phone. We then see everyone gathered at centre ice. They look at the camera and cheer. We cut to a sequence of children and adults who are learning to skate with the help of people in the community.

Jeannine machozi dhesi: Just so that we can speak in our mother tongue, which is French. Being Fransaskois, it’s living in that reality, that dynamic. When we have meetings and I can share my ideas on behalf of the Fransaskois community, I’m very proud. It’s this very Francophone community I liked and encouraged me to stay here.

We then see an overhead shot of downtown Moose Jaw. Text appears on screen:

“Saskatchewan Francophones are known as Fransaskois.”

We transition to an overhead shot of Collège Mathieu. We cut to Gilbert, who is walking toward the college’s main building. We see Gilbert standing outside and looking directly into the camera. Text appears over the image:

“Gilbert Havugiyaremye
Registrar
Collègue Mathieu”

We cut to Gilbert walking toward the college’s main building. He enters the building.

Gilbert havugiyaremye: Successful integration depends primarily on socio-professional integration. It’s very important to offer post-secondary education in French, because bilingualism is a huge asset in our country, whether it be in a minority or a majority community.

We see a sign that reads: “Gilbert Havugiyaremye.” Gilbert walks into his office. We see an image of Gilbert speaking directly to the camera. The college library can be seen behind him. We transition to a sequence of images of Gilbert working at his computer in his office.

Gilbert havugiyaremye: When I arrived in Gravelbourg, I found a Francophone community that welcomed me with open arms. I got involved by volunteering, and it gave me an opportunity to get to know the Fransaskois community.

We see an image of the college library. Text appears over the image:

“Educational services are provided from the primary to post-secondary level.”

We cut to an image of the sun setting on the horizon, over the plains. We then see images of various Moose Jaw streets. We see an image of a skyscraper through some trees. We then see a woman walking in a park, and a man jogging in the park.

Gilbert havugiyaremye: In Gravelbourg, living in French is thriving. I’m proud to serve the Fransaskois community. I consider myself to be Fransaskois. I am home.

We then see an overhead shot of Moose Jaw. Text appears over the image:

“Learn about services in French: rif-sk.ca.”

The music stops. On a white background, we see the Department’s logo, a small Canadian flag with the text “Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada” and “Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.” We see the Government of Canada logo, the Canadian flag against a white background.