Brian Mulroney should be recognized for increasing the impact of the Francophonie
The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, commonly known as the Francophonie, represents French-speaking countries and regions worldwide.
- The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, commonly known as the Francophonie, represents French-speaking countries and regions worldwide.
- Despite enduring criticism about its bureaucratic nature, the Francophonie’s origins date back to the establishment of the first multilateral francophone agency in Niger in March 1970 and was born of political debate and consensus.
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Brian Mulroney, champion of free trade, brought Canada closer to the U.S. during his reign as prime minister
A political transition in France and Canada
- In Canada, Brian Mulroney won the Progressive Conservative Party leadership and became a federal MP after winning a byelection in Nova Scotia in 1983.
- Mulroney’s roots in Baie Comeau and his acknowledgement of Québec’s distinctiveness set the stage for improved relations between Canada, Québec and France.
- His tenure as prime minister marked a pivotal shift in Canada’s approach to the Francophonie and its relations with France.
The Versailles summit
- The first Francophonie summit took place in Versailles in 1986 and Canada played a significant role.
- Many experts believe the Versailles summit strengthened the geopolitical impact of the Francophonie’s institutions.
- The heads of state and government who gathered in Versailles in 1986 accepted Mulroney’s proposal to host a second summit in Québec.
The Québec City summit
- The second Francophonie summit in 1987 in Québec City also presented an opportunity to build closer ties between the province and the rest of Canada.
- He also hosted the 1987 Commonwealth Summit in Vancouver, where he used his diplomatic skills to further condemn the apartheid regime of South Africa.
- As Mulroney prepared for the Québec City Francophonie summit, the Meech Lake Accord recognized the province as a distinct society.
Proud Canadian and Francophile
- That included a call to erase a portion of the public debt of African members of the Francophonie at the Dakar summit in 1989.
- The late prime minister was among them in transforming the organization into the substantive geopolitical entity that it is today.
Christophe Premat received funding from the Nordic and Baltic Cooperation with the educational grant Nordplus for the years 2020-2022. With the help of this grant, he created an introductory online course on Canadian Studies.