For immediate release: May 31, 2023
CANADIAN PARENTS FOR FRENCH LEADERS MEET IN HALIFAX, APRIL 2023
The Canadian Parents for French National Board met with Atlantic Branches Counterparts for Two Days of Events
Halifax, May 31, 2023: The National Board of Canadian Parents for French held their quarterly board meeting in Halifax on April 27-29. National Board members began arriving in town as early as April 25 in preparation for meetings and events.
On April 28, 2023 Canadian Parents for French, Nova Scotia Branch hosted a French Second Language awareness event at the Halifax Central Library in the evening. The event was attended by the CPF National Board, CPF Nova Scotia board and chapters. Representatives from Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, Canadian Heritage, FANE, NS Education and Early Childhood Development, Dept of Health and Wellness, Conseil jeunesse provincial, Alliance Francaise Halifax, Dalhousie University, and more.
The Honorable Colton LeBlanc, Minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie opened the event with greetings from the province. Minister LeBlanc also invited everyone at the event to return to Nova Scotia for the World Acadian Congress in 2024. The event will be held August 10-18 in the Acadian communities of Clare and Argyle.
CPF National President Derrek Bentley presented his perspective on linguistic security/insecurity, a topic that addresses how many second language speakers feel when using their second language at work or daily lives. CPF Network CEO Nicole Thibault was excited to introduce the French Second Language Early Childhood Education Project for 2023-2024. CPF will be unrolling this project across the country in collaboration with early childhood centres. The Master of Ceremony for the event was CPF Nova Scotia President, Dr. Kate Ashley.
CPF National Board, CPF Nova Scotia, CPF Newfoundland & Labrador and CPF PEI delegates met on April 29 to discuss topics such as governance, strategic planning, etc. With the four combined branches in the Atlantic region, Canadian Parents for French is the recognized voice of over 57,000 students in French immersion and an additional 61,000 in Core French. In Nova Scotia, there are over 51% of students in French as a second language programs. Enrolment in French second language programs continues to increase across the country.
The CPF Network and Atlantic region meetings were a great success. Many National Board members expressed their appreciation of the region and enjoyed the Atlantic seafood cuisine. CPF Nova Scotia looks forward to hosting the CPF Network again in the future.
Canadian Parents for French is a nationwide, research-informed, volunteer organization that represents 35,000 members across Canada and champions the opportunity to learn and use French for all those who call Canada home.