Harper Government Invests in the Francophone Community in Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario, May 13, 2013 - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario) and Member of Parliament (Cambridge), today announced funding for the Centre communautaire francophone de Cambridge (CCFC). He made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

“The Centre communautaire francophone de Cambridge fosters the development of French-Canadian culture in this region,” said Minister of State Goodyear. “By supporting the Centre, we are ensuring that official-language minority communities thrive and fully participate in Canadian society.”

This investment will enable the CCFC to continue offering a range of social, cultural, and sporting activities to the French-speaking communities in Cambridge–Kitchener–Waterloo and Guelph for 2013–2014. The CCFC also plans to publish a community newsletter for the region’s Francophones.

“Our Government is proud to support the Waterloo Region’s Francophone community,” said Minister Moore. “Our official languages are an asset for all Canadians, and this is why we are committed to protecting, celebrating, and strengthening linguistic duality in Canada. Today’s announcement clearly demonstrates our support for organizations that contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of their region.”

“The Centre communautaire francophone de Cambridge would like to thank the Government of Canada for its financial support,” said Lynn Guénard, President of the CCFC. “For several years, this investment in the Francophone community of the Cambridge region has allowed us to continue promoting and celebrating our Francophone culture. This funding is helping our Francophone centre implement several projects and activities to strengthen our cultural identity.”

The Government of Canada has provided funding of $17,000 through the Community Life component of the Development of Official-Language Communities Program. This program of the Department of Canadian Heritage aims to foster the development ofCanada’s minority Anglophone and Francophone communities and enable them to participate fully in all aspects of Canadian life.

For more information (media only), please contact:

Sébastien Gariépy
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Official Languages
819-997-7788

Jillian Lum
Manager of Regional Communications
Ontario Region
Canadian Heritage
416-973-2050
Jillian.lum@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca