Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Trade Centre Winnipeg.
I will tell you my story so that you can have some idea of the ground I have covered and how we came to have a bilingual World Trade Centre in Winnipeg.
I used to work with Joyce Bateman at the Department of Western Economic Diversification, or WD. The francophone community came to the department to obtain funding for the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities, the CDEM.
The first thing the department said to the francophone community was this:
“Oh, that's a French thing. Go see Canadian Heritage.”
The francophone community refused, stating that that organization dealt with economic development and that consequently it should be funded by WD.
WD not only agreed to fund the CDEM—whose director I became, subsequently—but it also made its funding permanent. The CDEM thus found itself at the same level as the Women's Enterprise Centre and the Community Futures Network of Canada, the other groups that received funding to further economic development. The French fact was normalized in the economic sphere. Bravo!
I worked at the CDEM for about ten years. We did local economic development in the municipalities that had adopted a bilingualism policy. Our efforts were fruitful and entrepreneurship was doing very well. This raised a lot of interest. There were several requests from the community asking us to use our bilingualism to help do business at the national and international levels. People in our area were looking for new markets. They were not necessarily thinking about France, Quebec or Belgium.
At that point we set up the Agence nationale et internationale du Manitoba—the ANIM—of which I am also the president. We began to work with different markets, especially those of France and Quebec. We really observed the value added that bilingualism brings. We were able to attract investment to our area, that is to say “French dollars”, as we refer to them. The anglophone majority also benefited from this.
Our main mandate was to work with the markets of the francophonie, but that mandate was quickly broadened. We organized the first international economic forum in Manitoba. The forum was not only held in French and in English, but also in Spanish. In Winnipeg, we little francophones, the seven of us who were in Saint-Boniface, were the ones who brought the first international economic forum there, and the second one, in 2012. It was a manifestation of the economic strength of bilingualism.
We went after other markets. We organized something that benefited everyone, francophones as well as anglophones. Everyone profited from the arrival in Winnipeg of people who came to do business in the language of their choice, whether French, English or Spanish. These people benefited from our bilingualism.
Things went so well that we considered the possibility of attracting a World Trade Centre to Winnipeg. What is a World Trade Centre? Why a World Trade Centre? There are 330 World Trade Centres throughout the world, whose headquarters are in New York—we have all heard about that one. It is a network we can count on.
The ANIM purchased its license fifty-fifty with the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, which said that the World Trade Centre of Winnipeg would have to be bilingual. Why would all of the personnel of the World Trade Centre of Winnipeg need to be bilingual? Because when we do business at the international level, it makes sense to speak at least the two official languages of our country. Our team also speaks Spanish, Chinese and German.
Staff meetings take place in French. We speak French at home to keep the language alive. However it is true that as soon as we go out, we also speak English quite a bit.
The Winnipeg World Trade Centre discovered that in the international network, France, Belgium and Algeria are not the only countries that appreciate the French fact. Through the World Trade Centre we have met people from Romania, Italy, Hungary, The Netherlands, and even from China, who speak French. This gives us an edge. We have something that other countries do not have. The fact of having two official languages has allowed us to become international. Right from the outset, we have a window on the world. Internationally, especially in French, we really saw that our bilingualism had value.
I have learned five things, which I would like to share with you.
Firstly, normalizing the French fact in the economic sphere is profitable.
Secondly, the bilingual Canada “brand” is very well respected at the international level.
Thirdly, the federal government is currently concluding several trade agreements. We hear about them everywhere. For instance, it has just concluded one with South Korea. An agreement is also in the works with the European Union. It has been signed, in principle. This gives us an advantage at the international level. It is an element that differentiates us from other markets. We feel it and see it.
The fact that Canada is both francophone and anglophone is a major asset. I really think that when it comes to trade agreements and investments, Canada should collectively promote its francophonie in all sectors.
We welcome a lot of missions from abroad. They come from everywhere on the planet. Every time, we work to get them to come to Saint-Boniface so that they can discover our francophone appeal. Every time, people are impressed because we have maintained one of Canada's fundamental values. Every time, they go back home impressed by what we have to offer them.
However, for us to be able to get there, we need investments in the areas of the economy, education, culture and the media. Our newspaper La Liberté is in a difficult situation. The solution is not obvious. These entities have to be supported. Radio-Canada is our media channel. It speaks to us and speaks about us. These institutions have to be supported so that throughout the world we have a different value to offer than other countries, and so that this opens doors for us.
That is not the only thing. Moreover, this creates wealth, it generates investments and that is good for all of Canada.