24 March 2009
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today received the Secretary-General of the Francophonie, Abdou Diouf. The Secretary-General also met with Governor General Michaëlle Jean and Minister for La Francophonie Josée Verner.
"This was an excellent opportunity to review the results of the Summit with the Secretary-General and discuss follow-up measures," said the Prime Minister, referring to the Francophone Summit held in Quebec City last October. "The Francophonie allows Canadians to enhance their international influence in the fields of language, culture, economics, the environment, human rights, the rule of law, democratization, freedom of expression, information technologies, distance education and international cooperation."
Canada's participation in the Francophonie highlights our country's linguistic duality and fosters the vitality of the French fact within our borders. On the international scene, the Francophonie is a natural source of friends and partners for Canada, like the Organization of American States and the Commonwealth. Canada plays an important role within the Francophonie and has hosted two previous summits (Quebec City in 1987 and Moncton in 1999). The 2008 Summit provided the first international forum for governments of developed and developing countries to exchange views on the international financial crisis.
Secretary-General Diouf will be in Canada until March 25, and will attend a luncheon hosted by the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations.
