Mr. Speaker, the Festival du voyageur, western Canada's largest winter festival, will take place from February 13 to 22 in the old quarter of Saint Boniface.
In 2004, the festival celebrates its 35th year. I would like to recognize all of its organizers for their invaluable contributions. Thanks to them, this festival has won major national and international awards.
The festival brings over 150,000 visitors and a positive economic impact of over $11 million to Manitoba. It attracts talented artists from all over Canada.
With such activities as the Governor's Ball and the Festin des bourgeois, the festival brings to life the days of the earliest Canadian arrivals in the west, people who played a vital role in the fur trade, all the way from Montreal to Louisiana.
During the Festival des voyageurs, Fort Gibraltar and the other sites will vibrate to the rhythms of the francophone, Métis and First Nations traditions of the 19th century Red River Colony.
Proud of their heritage, Franco-Manitobans invite you to come and share the joie de vivre of their community and warm up the Manitoba winter.