The economic spin-offs of the 8th Summit of La Francophonie have been estimated
at $78 million, according to a report released today by Secretary of State (Western
Economic Diversification) (Francophonie) Ron J. Duhamel, on behalf of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and by Paul Robichaud, New Brunswick
Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Minister responsible for La Francophonie,
on behalf of the New Brunswick Department of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal
Affairs (DIAA).
The report, entitled VIIIe Sommet de la Francophonie -- The Legacy, was presented
within the context of the Journée internationale de la Francophonie and the 30th
anniversary of the Francophonie. The document provides a rundown of the activities
connected with the Moncton Summit and its spin-offs.
"I am very pleased and proud to join with the people of the Atlantic provinces in
sharing the legacy left by the holding of the Summit of La Francophonie in
Moncton," said Mr. Duhamel. "The report presented today proves that the Summit
was a valuable event, and that the spin-offs have significantly benefited the
population of the Atlantic region -- including youth, workers, artists, entrepreneurs,
and the Francophonie as a whole."
Minister Robichaud said that he was pleased that the Summit had generated such
significant spin-offs, pointing out that the repercussions of such an event go far
beyond the figures released.
"The Summit of La Francophonie enabled our province to position itself
internationally as it never had before," said Mr. Robichaud. "It gave us exposure and
showed the world our talents and assets. Now we must continue to take advantage
of this exceptional opportunity to extend our influence to areas that will be of benefit
to all New Brunswickers."
Studies undertaken during the Summit identified five priority sectors for involvement:
youth; culture; the economy; community activities; and information/communications.
The report outlines the various activities organized within each of these sectors.
Mr. Robichaud also presented the follow-up on the various activities, especially in
the youth sector, with the implementation of the Youth Mobility Program within La
Francophonie.
ACOA was the co-ordinating partner for economic activities organized in conjunction
with the Summit. The agency worked to raise the profile of Atlantic Canada's
business community, and to maximize the economic advantages resulting from the
Summit.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Suzanne Cyr Lucienne Godbout
ACOA ACOA
(506) 851-2509 (506) 851-2091
(506) 851-1102 (cellular phone)
Pauline Dugré
Department of Intergovernmental Affairs
(506) 461-8860
Amy Butcher Media Relations Office
Office of the Secretary of State Department of Foreign Affairs
(Western Economic Diversification) and International Trade
(Francophonie) (613) 995-1874
(613) 944-5482
A backgrounder containing highlights of the Summit is attached.
Backgrounder
VIIIE SOMMET DE LA FRANCOPHONIE -- THE LEGACY
Highlights
The 8th Summit of La Francophonie, held from September 3 to 5, 1999,
brought together 52 heads of state and government that have French as a
common language.
Organization of the Summit began in the spring of 1998.
The governments of Canada, New Brunswick and Quebec hosted the
Summit.
The Summit provided a unique opportunity for the whole of Atlantic Canada
to promote its expertise and know-how in every sector of the economy.
Given its mandate to promote economic development in the Atlantic region,
the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) was the natural choice to
play the lead role on behalf of the federal government, acting as official
co-ordinator of Summit-related economic activities.
ACOA worked with the New Brunswick Department of Intergovernmental and
Aboriginal Affairs (DIAA) to maximize the potential economic spin-offs of the
Summit.
Five sectors were identified for intervention: youth; culture; the economy; the
community; and information/communications.
ACOA took advantage of the opportunity provided by the Summit to promote
the advantages of the Atlantic Canada business community to an
international audience. The Agency's efforts to co-ordinate Summit economic
activities was in keeping with its mission, as the Summit helped to strengthen
ties and partnerships among firms, associations, academics, and the
governments of Atlantic Canada and the countries of La Francophonie.
By its involvement in the economic sector, ACOA wanted to promote higher
revenues and job creation in the region. The Agency also wanted to increase
the direct and indirect economic development opportunities arising out of La
Francophonie Summit for the four Atlantic provinces.
Overall organization costs came to $11.2 million. The Government of Canada
contributed $9.2 million, the Government of New Brunswick $1.5 million and
the Government of Quebec $500,000.
ACOA invested almost $1.7 million (25 percent of the total cost of about
$6.6 million) for some 20 peripheral economic activities.
Several activities were aimed at encouraging the participation of young
people in the Summit. For example, six round tables on youth were held in
different New Brunswick communities; some 70 young people from every
corner of the world contributed to the Radio-Jeunesse '99 project; and the
Canadian Francophonie Games brought together almost 1100 young
Canadians. In all, youth activities involved more than 5380 participants.
The Province of New Brunswick developed a cultural strategy to maximize
the promotion of Acadian and Francophone culture. A number of artists took
part in a variety of artistic and cultural events, including summer festivals,
book fairs, art exhibitions and shows. For example, the symposium on
contemporary art "Attention, le Mascaret ne siffle pas" and Dieppe's Village
de la Francophonie were two events that allowed Francophone artists from
around the world to showcase their talents.
The Village de la Francophonie, a collection of over 60 booths, offered song,
music, dance, theatre and story-telling. More than 250 artists, actors,
craftspeople and musicians from 30 countries and provinces were present.
Some 110 000 people visited the Village de la Francophonie, which also
housed the Canada Pavilion, an initiative of the New Brunswick Federal
Council. A total of 26 federal departments and agencies shared space in the
Pavilion, and welcomed 75 000 people over five days. The Village was so
successful that there are plans to organize similar villages at future summits.
The 31st annual meeting of the Francophone press, a community-sector
activity, brought some 120 journalists from countries of La Francophonie
together with 30 Acadian colleagues, for workshops and talks on media
training and journalism schools. This event also introduced foreign journalists
to the Canadian Francophonie.
The visit of French President Jacques Chirac attracted more than 2000
Acadians.
The Agence universitaire de la Francophonie organized three events:
- the Assises sur l'enseignement supérieur technologique et professionnel was
attended by some 130 people from 25 Francophone countries;
- the first Francophone University Olympics brought together 48 young university
students from every major Francophone region of the world for two weeks; and
- the Université de Moncton, in collaboration with the Centre international pour le
développement de l'inforoute en français, hosted Initi@tives '99, welcoming 250
people from 15 countries. Internet users around the world were able to follow the
event live on the Initi@tives '99 Web site.
The varied activities in the economic sector underscored the Atlantic region's
know-how in information technologies; biotechnology; agriculture; forestry;
fishing and aquaculture; health sciences; the environment; and continuing
and distance education.
Examples of Economic Sector Activities:
The Conférence Acadie-Sherbrooke 1999: Co-sponsored by the World
Health Organization (WHO), the event drew more than 530 participants from
23 countries, who attended over 230 scientific presentations. The conference
had two immediate results: the creation of an Acadie-Sherbrooke Secretariat
and the implementation of a project called Santé ADO.
The Franco Com 99 International Trade Fair was held in Dieppe, New
Brunswick, allowing the Atlantic provinces to showcase their products and
services and promote partnerships and trade with the rest of La
Francophonie. Over 225 Atlantic region and foreign delegates had booths
presenting their products and services, representing 68 Francophone
businesses from 13 overseas countries. A total of 17 partnership agreements
were signed between Atlantic Canada companies and organizations and
those from various Francophone countries.
In all, more than 1100 journalists and technicians from around the world
came to Moncton to cover La Francophonie Summit. Major media outlets like
Le Point and Express were present, and the Washington Post and New York
Times also sent reporters. Since November 1997, more than 2000 articles
and news reports have appeared about the Summit. Over 129 000
participants attended the Summit and its activities. Of these, 38 000 visitors
came from outside the region.
The economic impact of the Summit on the Atlantic region is estimated at
more than $78 million. This impact was mainly felt in services; construction;
retail and wholesale sales; communications; and transportation.
The economic impact of the Summit was evaluated with the help of the
Conference Board of Canada's econometric model.
