Metropolis Pre-Conference 

Francophone Immigration and Diversity - Moncton

As part of the 10th National Metropolis Conference, being held in Halifax from April 3 to 6, 2008, the Atlantic Metropolis Centre is hosting a pre conference day at the Université de Moncton on April 2, 2008. The day will focus on Francophone immigration and diversity and will consist of panels on the following four themes:

Francophone immigration: An international overview
Description: This session will take a comparative look at Francophone immigration in several countries and, specifically, at attraction and integration. Topics will include what defines “Francophone immigrant” and how European countries view this issue.

Recruitment issues
Description: Recruitment and retention are crucial for Francophone communities. This session will look at the different avenues that Francophone communities can take to get involved in recruitment strategies and will identify the retention measures that those communities are taking. Will Francophone minority communities be able to retain French speaking immigrants? How can retention strategies be improved? Those are just some of the questions that will be discussed during this session.

New frontiers of Francophone identity
Description: This issue, which stimulated lively discussion at the March 2007 retreat in Toronto, lies at the heart of federal policy research because it encompasses a key question: How is “Francophone community” defined in a context where the concepts of Francophone community and Francophone culture are constantly evolving? This session on Francophone identity will be guided by the need to further clarify the research tools and the criteria that define “Francophone” and, in turn, “Francophone immigration”—beyond mother tongue, language spoken at home and first official language spoken.

Barriers to integration
Description: This session will focus on the contribution of immigrants to Francophone communities. We will give Francophone immigrants the floor and hear their stories about the challenges of integrating into environments where there is often little ethnic and cultural diversity.

The day will close with an evening co hosted by the Centre d’accueil et d’intégration des immigrants et immigrantes du Moncton métropolitain (CAIIMM). The evening will include a screening of Victor Moke Ngala’s film Karibuni and the launch of a special edition of Canadian Issues, dedicated to Francophone immigration. Victor Moke Ngala, co producer of the film, will be on hand at the event.

The detailed schedule for the day will be available shortly. Travel to Halifax will be arranged for delegates attending the National Metropolis Conference, which begins the next day (April 3).

For more information, contact Chedly Belkhodja at 506-858-3749 or 506-858-4529.

Family Migration Pre-Conference Day - Halifax 

April 3rd 2008
Halifax NS
Saint Mary’s University

**Please RSVP to Laure Lafrance, laure.lafrance@cic.gc.ca and Madine VanderPlaat, madine.vanderplaat@smu.ca to indicate your interest in participating in this event by March 21st 2008.

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