Acadian and Francophone Affairs: Meet the Minister

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Meet the Minister

Bonjour!

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Acadian and Francophone Affairs Secretariat’s new Web site. I encourage you to explore the site, and I hope you will find useful information regarding the French Language Services Act as well as our province.

Although it is not widely known beyond our borders, Prince Edward Island was born in French, during the European colonization of 1720. Known as Isle-Saint-Jean at the time, it was home to 4,100 souls at the time of the Deportation of the Acadians, in 1758. Despite hardships, the community rebuilt itself through courage and perseverance.

On Prince Edward Island, the Acadian and Francophone community is vibrant, proud and organized. Today, 23% of the Island population identifies itself as being of Acadian or French descent, and more than 12% of the population identifies itself as being bilingual. We are very proud of our growing French first language schools, and of the fact that more than half of our English schools offer French immersion programs.

Beyond the French language and rich Acadian and Francophone culture, the community contributes to every aspect of Island life, from higher education to heritage, innovation, the economy and much more.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at bonjour@gov.pe.ca. We will be more than happy to answer your questions, in the language of your choice.

Robert Ghiz
Premier and Minister responsible for Acadian and Francophone Affairs

This information has been taken from the website:
Acadian and Francophone Affairs
URL: http://www.gov.pe.ca/afa/index.php?number=1046258

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