French-speaking people in the Prince George area will get the chance to celebrate their culture during Francophone Day on Tuesday.
BC has the fourth-largest francophone population in all of Canada.
Alexandre Ouskine is an administrative coordinator with the Francophone Society of Prince George who says it’s nice to be thought of.
“Some of us sort of deal with self-esteem issues speaking French in a largely English speaking population and it feels pretty good to get some recognition and celebrate the French language and culture.”
There are more than 70,000 francophones and 300,000 French-speaking people in BC.
One of the Francophone Society’s major events seems to be gaining popularity on a yearly basis.
“Parents definitely notice the value of having their kids speak another language, our number of members hasn’t really grown over the years but our Franco Fun Winter Festival always has a pretty good turnout and is growing every year,” says Ouskine.
He adds the province is seeing more immigrants from the French-speaking countries relocating to BC.
The day was pronounced by Health Minister Adrian Dix.
This year’s provincial budget provided an additional $250,000 to support and promote the linguistic vitality of the Francophonie.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
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