On March 20th, 2024, AMBM President and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement in response to the announcement formalizing the modernization of the municipal regulatory framework for services in both official languages by the Manitoba government:
The Honourable Ian Bushie, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations, took the opportunity of this International Day of La Francophonie to mark Manitoba’s history by making a highly significant gesture towards Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, with long-term benefits for the vitality of our Francophone community across the province.
At the stroke of noon, in the rotunda of the Legislative Building, Minister Bushie confirmed to Manitoba’s rural bilingual municipalities that they now have the green light to adopt their new municipal by-law framework, known as the Municipal Maturity Model (3M), in third (and final) reading. The announcement was made in the company of the Honourable Glen Simard, Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs, the Honourable Matt Wiebe, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mrs. Angela Cassie, President of the Société de la francophonie manitobaine (SFM), numerous elected officials from Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, as well as several leaders and allies of Manitoba’s Francophone community.
On behalf of Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Minister Bushie, his colleagues and their government for this historic announcement, which is accompanied by a first round of funding that will enable us to begin implementing the 3M. We also welcome the Province’s intention to strengthen its financial support for municipal initiatives, such as the implementation of the 3M, under the 2023-2028 Canada-Manitoba Agreement on French Language Services (CMAFLS). The 3M project is a perfect illustration of the strength of the provincial-municipal partnership; the AMBM and its members have been working for the past four years with the entire team at the Department of Municipal and Northern Relations to move towards the adoption and deployment of the 3M.
Our municipalities are the closest order of government to Manitoba’s Francophone community. For nearly 40 years, they have been committed to the development, prosperity and vitality of our Francophone and bilingual communities.
Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new era for the AMBM and its members. The concerted renewal of our members’ commitment to our Francophone and bilingual communities will generate new momentum for the delivery of municipal services in both official languages in Manitoba.
The 3M is a first in Canada. By adopting the 3M, Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities will be able to assess their capabilities, set themselves concrete targets and then measure their progress and investment in official languages.
According to our estimates, bilingual rural municipalities invest more than a million dollars a year in providing municipal services in both official languages. With the 3M, it will now be possible to measure the progress of their investment in three main areas:
- Service delivery and communications with the public;
- Governance, leadership and strategic direction; and
- People management.
Ultimately, the 3M completes the continuum of public services in both official languages in Manitoba. The upcoming implementation of this new municipal regulatory framework is a direct response to our Notice on the 16 Strategic Priorities of Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipal Leadership published in the fall of 2023.
The AMBM intends to play a key role in guiding and equipping our municipalities to support their commitment. When bilingual municipalities have the necessary tools for their Francophone and bilingual communities, all of Manitoba honours its bilingual character.
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 local governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their citizens. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the head of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementing each other, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) and the province as a whole.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
