Without certainty of the party that will form the next government of British Columbia, the province’s Francophones hope that their concerns will be taken into account by elected officials.
For us, not really knowing who will be in power, or who will be leader, [ça crée] lots of questions
says Inès Ghozzi, director of Relais Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique.
She emphasizes that certain provincial services offered in French, such as health and education, play a large role in guaranteeing the retention of Francophones in British Columbia. Access to any type of support in French is very, very important
adds Ms. Ghozzi.
The outgoing Minister of Health and La Francophonie, Adrian Dix, obtained the most votes in his riding of Vancouver-Renfrew on Saturday evening, recognizes that the importance of the French language is skyrocketing in the province, especially among young people
.
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Ines Ghozzi is director of Relais francophone de la Colombie-Britannique. “We are also very happy to have Adrien Dix who will, we hope, be a spokesperson for the French-speaking world,” she rejoices.
Photo : - / Alexandre Lamic
Collaboration with elected officials
Emmanuelle Corne Bertrand, general director of the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique (FFCB), envisages a certain continuity in her collaboration with the government if the New Democratic Party is returned to power.
However, she is preparing to work with new people, if the Conservatives form the next government. This is not the first time we have had to change parties
she says.
Creating connections with new candidates could be made easier if we have interlocutors who are already aware of the issue [des francophones en milieu minoritaire]
.
We are like a small company within society, we have a very diverse community, we come from the four corners of the world, we have lots of things to contribute to British Columbia society
Ms. Corne Bertrand considers that the French-speaking community of British Columbia offers added value
to the province, not only because of the language, but also for its diversity. We hope that new [élus] will be sensitive to that, then [qu’ils] will see the benefit of working with us
she shares.
The loss of the leader of the Greens
Sonia Furstenau’s defeat disappointed some voters, like Dave Demers. A former commissioner at the Vancouver Parks Commission, he says he has worked with her in the past. She is easy to approach, interested [et] integrated
he judges, hoping that she will show up again in the future.
It seems she had a strategy [qui n’a pas marché] unfortunately for her
adds Geneviève Ciebien, a resident of Whistler who is nonetheless delighted with the success of the Greens in her riding of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
In this one, candidate Jeremy Valeriote has a certain lead in the votes and could then become the first Green Party MP elected outside of Vancouver Island.
The final provincial election tally is expected to be released next week, according to Election BC.
