AFMO focuses on immigration to promote French

The annual congress of the French Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AFMO) continues in Clarence-Rockland, in eastern Ontario, with the presence this year of African delegations.

L’AFMO wants to broaden its horizons to seek new partners outside the country. This is why representatives from Togo, in West Africa, and Cameroon, in Central Africa, are collaborating with the cities of the province.

One way to maintain a French-speaking population in Ontario, according to the outgoing president of theAFMONicole Fortier Levesque.

As you know, in Africa, there are many French speakers and with the workforce that is a challenge for us today. I think it is extremely important to create these partnershipsshe says.

Sharing experiences

The objective behind this partnership is to allow municipalities to share their experiences on issues they have in common.

An opportunity for Togo to be present and also to see what is happening and to share this experience with the 117 municipalities that we have in Togosays the Togolese Minister of Planning and Territorial Development, Koamy Gbloèkpo Gomado.

His delegation is particularly curious to discover the solutions implemented in eastern Ontario, as part of the decentralization of emergency services.

In Togo, too, we have started decentralization […] and it is an opportunity to see what is happening elsewhere to reinforce what we have learned and also benefit from the experience of othershe explains.

Understanding different cultures

Several elected officials from Eastern Ontario present at the conference appreciate this extra-provincial partnership which, according to them, makes it possible to offer a better welcome to newcomers.

In my neighborhood, I have a lot of French-speaking diasporas. I have people from West Africa, from Haiti, from the Caribbean. And I want to know how I can better serve the residents of these areasunderlines the municipal councilor of the Rideau-Vanier district in Ottawa, Stéphanie Plante.

The mayor of Casselman, Geneviève Lajoie, agrees. For the immigrants here in Casselman who come from other countries, I also have to understand the different cultures around thatshe said.

Togo’s participation in this congress is only the beginning since the country is preparing the first Africa-Canada summit for next year, with theAFMO as a guest.

For Koamy Gbloèkpo Gomado, this type of event contributes to strengthening the values ​​of the Francophonie which is also characterized by local development through municipalities for their proximity to the populations.

The Francophonie is a space to be strengthened. It truly constitutes a vast market of knowledge and we are condemned to be together, to strengthen this collaboration to maintain the French-speaking world and promote the future generation through this language.he suggests.

With information from Nelly Albérola