Feeling welcome in Francophone communities

Immigrants talk about the warm welcome they received when they arrived and their attachment and the ties they built with their Francophone communities.

Thanks to Hugo Sabourin (YUGZ) for use of his paintings in the video.

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Transcript: “Feeling welcome in Francophone communities”

Video length: 2:01 minutes

Red, white and black ribbon background is displayed then fades into a shot of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, some athletes running on an outdoor track followed by a performer in front of an audience. Red, white and black ribbon background returns then fades to a group of people in an office setting and back. A Canadian flag emerges from the background with the text: “Live the Francophone Life in Canada. Feeling Welcome in Francophone Communities.”

Narrator is shown standing in front of an athletics track with the text: “Province: Saskatchewan. Country of origin: Cameroon. Guy Gérard Ngako Chabe (Teacher).”

Narrator (speaking French): When we arrived, we were greeted with a big smile. We were welcomed. In the community where I live now, it was, “Hey, what do you need? Are you …?”

Scene changes to the narrator high fiving a few athletes in an event tent then sitting at the trackside smiling.

Narrator (speaking French): There was always someone available to drive you somewhere, to guide you.

Narrator is shown sitting in a room decorated with art on the walls along with the text: “Province: New Brunswick. Country of origin: Congo. Jonathan Mpunge (Student).”

Narrator (speaking French): In Moncton, you feel free to express yourself in French, and people really welcome you in French, that’s a good thing. So I’d really advise immigrants, who want to immigrate, to immigrate to Francophone communities, especially minority communities, to strengthen the French language, to develop it even more.

Scene changes to people playing badminton in a gym then switches to the narrator standing in front of a colourful mural with the text: “Province: Saskatchewan. Country of origin: Canada (parents from Salvador). Gabriela Quintanilla (Badminton Coach).”

Narrator (speaking French): The Francophone community is a second family. It’s a second home because I don’t have any family here. That’s all I know. I’ve been given a good welcome. I have best friends who speak French, well …, who come from the Francophone community. So, yeah, it means a lot to me.

Narrator is sitting in a classroom with the text: “Province: Manitoba. Country of origin: Mali. Samir Touré (Director General, Student Association, Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface).”

Narrator (speaking French): You can’t isolate yourself. When you arrive in a new environment, it’s entirely normal to feel a little lost at first. Then, you find people who live there, who’ve lived there all their lives, so they can help along for a while, to learn their culture, their expressions, their reality. Then, we can teach them our culture, our expressions and our understanding of things. And the end result is a good one.

The Citizenship and Immigration Canada corporate signature and the copyright message “Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2014” are displayed followed by the Canada wordmark.