TRENTON, Ontario, May 7, 2008 - New cultural programs will give a boost to the French-speaking community in the Quinte region thanks to an investment from the Government of Canada.
Rick Norlock, Member of Parliament (Northumberland-Quinte West), on behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, today announced financial assistance for Franco-Phare: Regroupement Francophone de Quinte.
Funding of $16,000 will help the organization offer socio-economic, cultural, and community development programs to the French-speaking community in the Greater Quinte Area.
"The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring the vitality of English and French minority communities," said Minister Verner. "We are pleased to support a project that will allow people in Quinte to become more involved in the life of the area's Francophone community".
"I am very pleased to announce this funding aimed at expanding the possibilities for living in French in the Quinte community," said Mr. Norlock. "I want to congratulate Franco-Phare on its work for the area's Francophones."
"Thanks to this support, Franco-Phare can finally advertise itself and become accessible to all the people it has a mandate to serve," said Jacques Durfort, President of Franco-Phare. "For the first time, it will have its own address and thus it will truly be able to play its role as a focal point for all Francophones and Francophiles in the Greater Quinte Area."
The goal of Franco-Phare: Regroupement Fancophone de Quinte is to promote the Francophone presence in all its forms to facilitate the socio-economic, cultural, and community development of the French-speaking community in the Greater Quinte Area.
Funding for this project comes from the additional $30 million over two years announced by the Government of Canada in its 2007 Budget to support official-language minority communities and linguistic duality. These funds from the Department of Canadian Heritage seek to foster the vitality and development of the country's official-language minority communities and enable them to participate fully in all aspects of Canadian life.
Information:
Dominic Gosselin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage,
Status of Women and Official Languages
819 997-7788
Donald Boulanger
A/Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819 994-9101
