Humour is coming to the Parents’ Conference this year!

The 2022 conference of the Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B. will be like no other in over 40 years... because it will be led by the Improtéine comedy team!

On November 18 and 19, 2022, the Fédération des parents will hold its 43rd Conference and Annual General Meeting. This event will bring together representatives of our member parents’ associations from across British Columbia with several community partners, in-person in Richmond as well as virtually, to network, learn… and laugh!

This will be a conference with plenty of laughter, since two members of the well-known Franco-Ontarian team Improtéine will interact with participants throughout our big annual event. Most participants will surely recognize Vincent Poirier and Olivier Nadon, the stars of two hilarious videos* about the legal case for Francophone education in B.C. that ended with a win in the Supreme Court of Canada. After helping to raise awareness across the country about the legal case led by Francophone parents in B.C., Vincent and Olivier are looking forward to actually meeting some of these parents at the conference, and plan to inject a good dose of humour during both the opening night on Friday and then between the components of Saturday’s program.

A highlight of the conference, the annual general meeting, will be the point at which we look back at the efforts of the Fédération des parents over the past year, and introduce the plan for the next twelve months. It will also be the time to elect individuals who will serve in positions as members on our board of directors representing the Metro Vancouver, Okanagan-Columbia, and South Vancouver Island regions for a two-year term. Voting for the position of President of the board of directors will also take place, as Suzana Straus will step down after four and a half years in the role, which were preceded by three and a half years as a board member. Ms. Straus will conclude a very busy term, having led our organization during a crucial time – during which she demonstrated leadership and great dedication as a spokesperson for parents, particularly in the context of the outcome of the trial for equivalency for Francophone education in our province.

In addition, we’ll also have the pleasure and privilege of welcoming a special guest, a passionate speaker whose presentations always arouse great interest among Francophones in Canada, whether he’s addressing them to talk about their rights... or he’s pleading their legal cases! Lawyer Mark Power, who has worked for many years to defend language rights in minority communities in Canada, will be with us for a workshop-conference followed by a question period.

The conference will also feature activities including awards to highlight significant achievements, both informal and structured networking opportunities, and an interactive-quiz workshop.

For our member associations’ representatives, it will be quite a promising rendezvous, and we won’t forget to tell you about all the highlights in the next edition of the Parenthèse newsletter!

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* To view (or re-view) the videos in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMMPjQTotbY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLlOhveqlvQ.