Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be addressing the House in French, followed by English.
[Translation] Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I address my Francophone colleagues around the North. Today we are celebrating an unbelievable event with the announcement of the first…(inaudible)…plan on service and communication in French by the Government of the Northwest Territories.
This plan will make it easier to improve communication and the provision of services is to provide for more effective government. This would not have been possible without the relationships with the Federation Franco TeNOise cooperating with the GNWT. Now, with the development of a strategic plan on the French language, we can now look at culture to improve services in our official languages and to build bridges between the northern cultures.
I am proud to be a francophone today living in the North, and thanks to the cooperation between and partnerships with francophone groups, I am confident that our government will continue to improve its ability to develop and provide services to our multicultural community. I would like to conclude by pointing out the excellent work by the Minister of Education to meet our northern francophone residents. [Translation ends]
…and that I am extremely proud that the Federation Franco TeNOise who, in partnership with the GNWT, have come up with the first ground-breaking strategic plan for French language service. As a francophone, I look forward to all the possibilities and opportunities that will be available for northern French-speaking residents in the years to come.