NEWS RELEASES
YOUNG ONTARIANS TO HAVE A VOICE AT THE FRANCOPHONE SUMMIT IN MONCTON
March 26, 1999 (4:40 p.m. EST) No. 66
YOUNG ONTARIANS TO HAVE A VOICE
AT THE FRANCOPHONE SUMMIT IN MONCTON
The Minister for International Co-operation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Diane Marleau, will be attending a consultation session
for Ontario tomorrow, at Collège Boréal in Sudbury. Nearly 70 young people from the region and all over the province have been invited to
discuss issues that concern them today and that affect their future. The Fédération de la Jeunesse Franco-Ontarienne is collaborating in this
event.
This meeting, the third in a series of seven across Canada, will be used to formulate recommendations to the Canadian government in
preparation for the Eighth Francophone Summit to be held next September 3 to 5.
Youth is the main theme of the Summit, which will bring together 52 heads of state and government from French-speaking countries in Moncton,
New Brunswick. They will also be discussing the economy and new technologies, two secondary themes closely associated with the future of
young people.
"The training and socio-economic integration of young people will be central to the discussions of the heads of state and government," said the
Minister. "We are therefore attaching the greatest importance to these consultations, which offer an excellent opportunity for young Canadians to
make their interests and priorities known to the world leaders of La Francophonie."
These youth consultations are organized by the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development, in close collaboration with the Fédération de
la Jeunesse canadienne française. In addition to discussion of the Summit's themes, there will be consultations on culture and new media,
human rights and democracy, and the role of La Francophonie. Similar consultations are also being organized in several other countries of La
Francophonie.
"Youth is a subject that is particularly important to me. Thanks to this process, we can hope that the results of the Moncton summit will reflect the
aspirations and meet the expectations of Francophone youth worldwide," said Ms. Marleau. "Young people are our future, and we must listen
closely to them if we want to convey an accurate picture of their concerns and thereby help to plan for a promising future."
The first sessions of this series of consultations with young Canadians took place in Alberta and Manitoba. In addition to Sudbury, similar
sessions will be organized this spring in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec. A final meeting will then be held in Ottawa.
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Chantal Reinert
Office of the Minister for International Co-operation
and Minister responsible for La Francophonie
(819) 997-6919
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
| 
