PROVINCE ANNOUNCES YEAR OF THE FRANSASKOIS IN SASKATCHEWAN

Today Provincial Secretary Wayne Elhard proclaimed that 2012 will be known as the Year of the Fransaskois in Saskatchewan.

"For over a century, before Saskatchewan was ever a province, francophone settlers from Europe, Eastern Canada and the United States began to arrive in this land to build a better life," Elhard said. "These settlers and the generations that followed, our province's Fransaskois, have continued to not only survive but flourish and have grown into a vibrant community that is now an integral component of the history and identity of the great province of Saskatchewan."

The year 2012 will mark the centennial of the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise (ACF), the principal francophone organization in the province. An official celebration will be held by the ACF in the community of Duck Lake on February 25, 2012.

Fransaskois culture is distinctive to the province of Saskatchewan. The year long celebration is an opportunity for all residents no matter their heritage, or the language that they speak, to celebrate this unique aspect of our province.

Today, almost 20,000 residents of Saskatchewan have French as their first language and more than 50,000 are able to communicate in French. Together, these individuals make up the Saskatchewan francophone community, the Fransaskois.

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For more information, contact:

Jay Teneycke
Office of the Provincial Secretary
Regina
Phone: 306-798-6095
Email: jay.teneycke@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-529-8630