La Francophonie -- Canada and the Canadian Francophonie

There are two official languages in Canada -- French and English -- with French being the mother tongue of 6.7 million Canadians (2006 census). This large Francophone community is an integral part of Canada's identity and contributes to its unique character.

The majority of Francophones live in Quebec, but almost one million are found in Canada's other provinces and territories.

Since the second half of the 19th century, minority-community Francophones have come together within organizations, federations and associations that ensure the development of their communities. Over the years, the Francophone communities of Canada have adopted flags and emblems as symbols of their pride and vitality.

Acadian Flag
Acadian (1884)

The Acadian national flag was adopted at the second national convention of Acadians held in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island, in 1884. It is the symbol of Acadians from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The flag is based on the national flag of France and the star represents Our Lady of the Assumption -- patron saint of Acadians.

Franco-Ontarian Flag
Franco-Ontarian (1975)

The green and white of the flag of the Ontario French-speaking community represent the diversity of Ontario's climate (green symbolizes summer, and white represents winter). The fleur-de-lis evokes the Frenchspeaking community worldwide whereas the trillium is the official floral emblem of Ontario. This flag was adopted as the emblem of the Ontario Frenchspeaking community by an Act of the Legislature of Ontario in 2001.

Fransaskois Flag
Fransaskois (1979)

The flag of the Fransaskois uses the colours of Saskatchewan. Yellow symbolizes the wheat fields, green the pine forests, and red -- the colour of the heart -- represents the province's Francophones. The cross is a solemn testimony to the missionaries who founded most of the Francophone settlements in Saskatchewan, while the fleur-de-lis is a symbol of the worldwide Francophone community.

Franco-Manitoban Flag
Franco-Manitoban (1980)

The Franco-Manitoban flag is adorned with a red band representing the Red River and a yellow one representing Manitoba's wheat. The deep green roots turn into a leafy plant that is also a stylized "F" signifying Francophone.

Franco-Columbian Flag
Franco-Columbian (1982)

The Franco-Columbian flag features the dogwood, the floral emblem of British Columbia. The blue lines evoke images of the sea, while the raised lines represent the Rocky Mountains. The fleur-de-lis symbolizes the Francophone community; one of the petals is pointing toward the sun, represented by the yellow disc.

Franco-Albertan Flag
Franco-Albertan (1982)

The Franco-Albertan flag is blue, white and red. The fleur-de-lis symbolizes French culture; the stylized wild rose and the blue, Alberta; the white, the worldwide Francophone community. The blue and white bands represent the waterways and routes used by the explorers and early settlers.

Francophone community in Yukon Flag
Francophone community
in Yukon (1985)

The blue in the flag of the Francophone community in Yukon symbolizes the worldwide Francophone community; the gold evokes the 1898 Gold Rush; and the white symbolizes the snow that covers the Yukon landscape for a good part of the year.

Francophone community in Newfoundland and Labrador Flag
Francophone community in
Newfoundland and Labrador
(1986)

The blue, white and red of the flag of Newfoundland and Labrador's Francophone community represent the community's French origins. The two yellow sails, the colour of Acadia, signify the arrival of their common ancestors. The upper sail is decorated with a tamarack branch, the emblem of Labrador, and the large sail has a pitcher plant, the official floral emblem of the province.

Francophone community in the Northwest Territories Flag
Francophone community in
the Northwest Territories
(1992)

The flag of the Francophone community in the Northwest Territories depicts a curved base with a bear. White symbolizes the snow and blue the Francophone community the world over. The curve represents the Territories' location above the 60th parallel, close to the North Pole. The polar bear, a symbol of freedom and nature in the spacious North, is looking at the snowflake and the fleur-de-lis, which represent the Francophone community in the North.

Association des francophones du Nunavut Flag
Association des francophones
du Nunavut (1981)

In the Franco-Nunavut flag, the blue represents the Arctic sky, and the white represents snow. The central shape evokes an igloo and contains an inuksuk (a stone structure),symbolizing the human footprint in this vast territory. At the base of the inuksuk is a dandelion, which reflects Canada's and Nunavut's Francophone community: tenacious and enduring, it stands strong and adapts to its environment, embellishing it with colour.


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Canada and the international Francophonie

The term Francophonie was first used as the end of the 19th century to refer to countries under France's influence. Today, it refers to the community of peoples around the world who speak or use French to varying degrees in their own countries or internationally.

La Francophonie also describes an international network of more than 60 states and governments that share the use of the French language. Recognizing the importance of the French language and culture at home and abroad, the Governement of Canada has associated itself with La Francophonie from its beginning in 1970. Through this multilateral forum of cooperation and dialogue, Canada extends its considerable influence to promote the values that matter most to Canadians, namely peace, the development of democracy and a constitutional state, respect for human rights, sustainable development, cultural and linguistic diversity, and sound governance.

Canada has the status of member in La Francophonie, while the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick are recognized as participating governments.

The flags of Canada, Quebec and New Brunswick officially represent the Canadian Francophonie.

The circular form of the flag of La Francophonie conveys the idea of coming together. The five interconnected segments represent the idea of cooperation across the five continents where the members of La Francophonie are located. The five colours represent the various colours found on the flags of the participating countries and governments.

La Francophonie Flag

The Flag of La Francophonie

Flag of Canada

Canada

Quebec Flag

Quebec

New Brunswick Flag

New Brunswick



Members of La Francophonie

  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Armenia[2]
  • Austria[2]
  • Belgium
  • Belgium, French Community
  • Benin
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina-Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Canada-New Brunswick
  • Canada-Quebec
  • Cape Verde
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Congo, Democratic Republic of
  • Congo, Republic of
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Croatia[2]
  • Cyprus[1]
  • Czech Republic[2]
  • Djibouti
  • Dominica
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • FormerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia, The
  • France
  • Gabon
  • Georgia[2]
  • Ghana[1]
  • Greece
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Haiti
  • Hungary[2]
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Lithuania[2]
  • Luxembourg
  • Madagascar
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Mauritius
  • Moldavia
  • Monaco
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique[2]
  • Niger
  • Poland[2]
  • Romania
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Lucia
  • São Tomé and Principe
  • Senegal
  • Serbia[2]
  • Seychelles
  • Slovakia[2]
  • Slovenia[2]
  • Switzerland
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
  • Ukraine[2]
  • Vanuatu
  • Vietnam

Notes

  • [1] Associated members
  • [2] Observers

(As of date of publication-March 2008)

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