NEWS RELEASES
FRANCOPHONIE SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS-GHALITO VISIT WINNIPEG AND ST. BONIFACE
October 12, 2000 (3:10 p.m. EDT)
FRANCOPHONIE SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS-GHALI
TO VISIT WINNIPEG AND ST. BONIFACE
The Honourable Ron J. Duhamel, Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification)
(Francophonie), today welcomed the news that the Secretary-General of the Organisation
internationale de la Francophonie, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, will visit Winnipeg and St. Boniface
on October 20 and 21.
"I am very happy that Mr. Boutros-Ghali has accepted my invitation to visit Winnipeg and St.
Boniface to promote the international Francophonie," said Mr. Duhamel. "I am particularly
pleased that his first visit to Manitoba will give him a sense of the dynamic nature of the Franco-Manitoban community and of our province's rich linguistic plurality and cultural heritage."
During his stay in Manitoba, Mr. Boutros-Ghali will address the Canadian Club of Winnipeg and
will meet with members of the Chambre de Commerce francophone de Saint-Boniface and
students attending the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface. He will address the general
assembly of the Société Franco-Manitobaine during a luncheon chaired by the Honourable
Gildas L. Molgat, speaker of the Senate. The Secretary-General's program also includes talks
with Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Manitoba Premier Gary Doer.
Elected Secretary-General of La Francophonie in November 1997 at the Seventh Francophonie
Summit in Hanoi, Mr. Boutros-Ghali is a diplomat, jurist, academic and author of numerous
works, with many years of experience in international affairs. He served as Secretary-General of
the United Nations from 1992 to 1996.
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The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie brings together 55 nations and
governments that use French as a common language, or one in four countries in the world. La
Francophonie covers a total population of some 500 million people spread over five continents.
Canada ranks among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of the number of French-speaking inhabitants.
In Manitoba, the number of people who know French has almost doubled in less than 50 years.
Around 10 percent of the population can speak the language.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Michel Loiselle, Special Assistant
Office of the Secretary of State
(Western Economic Diversification) (Francophonie)
(204) 983-7096
This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's
Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
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