B.C. Francophone Day will be held before Festival du Bois in historic French-speaking area of Coquitlam

by Charlie Smith on March 15th, 2018 at 2:01 PM

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C'est bon.

A former executive director of B.C. Parents for French, Adrian Dix, has declared March 20 as B.C. Francophonie Day.

Dix, now B.C.'s health minister, oversees the B.C. government's francophone affairs program.

“This proclamation celebrates French language and proudly reflects the contributions made by French-speaking citizens to the social and economic life of the province,” Dix said in a news release. “Our government is taking steps towards greater recognition of French-speaking British Columbians and investing in services that will make their lives better."

The recent provincial budget allocated $250,000 to support francophone affairs.

This is first time that this funding is available since the B.C. government inked its first deal with Ottawa in 2001 to promote French-language services.

The leading provincial organization advancing francophone culture in B.C. is La Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique.

Coincidentally, B.C. Francophonie Day falls on International Day of Happiness, which was designated by the United Nations in 2013.

When Adrian Dix was executive director of B.C. Parents for Fench, enrollment in French immersion rose sharply.

Stephen Hui

Dix has been fluently bilingual since he lived in France at the age of 20.

He's not the only MLA qui peut parler la belle langue. Norm Letnick, the B.C. Liberal MLA for Kelowna–Lake Country, also speaks excellent French, as does Nicholas Simons, the NDP MLA for Powell River–Sunshine Coast. (If there are other MLAs who've mastered the French language, feel free to mention their names in the comments section.)

B.C. Francophonie Day will take place in advance of Festival du Bois, which is an annual three-day celebration of B.C.'s francophone culture from March 23 to 25.

It attracts about 20,000 people every year.

Watch this video showcasing what took place at Festival du Bois in 2016.

This year, Festival du Bois will be held at Mackin Mark in the historic francophone community of Maillardville in Coquitlam.

Among those performing will be Le Vent du Nord, Bon Débarras, Les Chauffeurs à pieds, Jacky Essombe, and Mazacote.

On March 21, the fifth annual Dîner en Plaid will be held at the John B. Pub (1000 Austin Avenue, Coquitlam) in advance of the weekend festival. Ticket holders will enjoy traditional French-Canadian cuisine, a glass of French Lumberjack Ale (made by Port Moody's Yellow Dog Brewing), live music, and, yes, arm wrestling if they want to participate. After all, this is about respecting our Québécois heritage.

Magnifique!