One City, two languages: Celebrating Mois de la Francophonie

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March 28, 2024
Arts, heritage and events
Council, committees and City Hall

If you’ve visited City Hall over the last month, you may have noticed vibrant green and white graphics wishing you a “Happy Francophonie Month” flashing across the digital screens. Every year, the Mayor proclaims March as Francophonie Month in our City in celebration of the invaluable contributions and vitality of Ottawa’s Francophone community and in recognition of the one quarter of Franco-Ontarians that call Ottawa home.

French Language Services

The City of Ottawa is proud to serve our Francophone and Francophile residents, and our dedicated French Language Services (FLS) team works hard to support City departments in providing quality municipal services to residents in the official language of their choice.

Ottawa is a diverse city, and our bilingual municipal services aim to be inclusive, accessible, and ensure that the needs of a diverse population are being met.

Members of French Language Services celebrate Mois de la Francophonie.

The work of FLS is vital to upholding the City of Ottawa’s commitment to its Bilingualism Policy, the provision of municipal services and communications in both English and French. FLS supports all City departments in the delivery and continuous improvement of municipal services in French to residents and City staff in many ways, including:

  • Coordinating all internal City-wide Translation Services and simultaneous interpretation services.
  • Working with departments to develop departmental operational plans to continuously improve the delivery of French-language services throughout the organization.
  • Assisting departments in adapting their communications strategies and outreach for the Francophone community.
  • Supporting the French Language Services Advisory Committee (FLSAC) in carrying out its mandate.
  • Assisting departments in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs and services offered in French.

FLS is also proud to celebrate the City’s Francophone community each year with a flag raising on Franco-Ontarian Day and the Mayor’s annual Francophone RendezVous to mark Francophonie Month in March. 

The Annual Francophone RendezVous with the Mayor

The 17th Annual Mayor’s Francophone RendezVous took place on Thursday, March 21, at Ottawa City Hall. This year’s event, co-hosted with La Cité, the University of Ottawa and Saint Paul University, focused on the contributions and accomplishments of Ottawa’s francophone and bilingual post-secondary institutions and recognized their support in making Ottawa a destination of choice to live, learn, work, play, invest, and visit.

Mayor Sutcliffe presented a proclamation to Réjean Thibault from Collège La Cité, Sylvain Charbonneau from University of Ottawa, and Louis Patrick Leroux from Saint-Paul University at the 17th Annual Francophone RendezVous with the Mayor.

This year’s RendezVous was an opportunity for elected officials, City staff, Francophone stakeholders and residents to connect, and saw nearly 200 guests come together to celebrate what it means to be Francophile and Francophone in our great city.

Bon Mois de la Francophonie! (Happy Francophonie Month!)

For information about future Francophone events at Ottawa City Hall, including the annual Francophone RendezVous, register at eSubscriptions.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.