AMBM President, Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement on the occasion of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day:
On this June 24, I wish a very happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day to Francophone communities across Canada.
In our country, the popularity of this holiday stems from the fact that St. John the Baptist is recognized as the patron saint of French Canadians. June 24th is therefore a special time to celebrate the important place of our beautiful and vibrant Francophone community in the Manitoba landscape, its successes and its great capacity for resilience.
In Manitoba, Francophones are often seen as builders, as a living force in our communities. They represent the added value of French in the strength of bilingualism that is at the heart of the values of our municipalities, our province and our country.
My thoughts are also with our Quebec friends who have made June 24 their official national holiday and with whom we have a special relationship of municipal cooperation.
The AMBM’s 15 member municipalities are privileged to have the majority of the province’s Francophone population within their boundaries. Since the late 1980s, these municipalities have been committed to providing services in both official languages and to actively contributing to the development and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), including the French-speaking Métis.
For the AMBM, Bill C-32 to modernize the Official Languages Act is one of the key ways to support our Francophonie and to fully recognize the fundamental role of municipal governments in relation to OLMCs.
For all these reasons, and in keeping with the health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, I encourage you to take the time to celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and its symbolism in our communities in your own way.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
