WHAT:

A symposium, entitled Vision and Challenges for the 21^st Century, is being held by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, in partnership with Canadian Heritage, Intergovernmental Affairs and Canadian Parents for French. The symposium will welcome stakeholders from across Canada in key sectors such as education, business and arts and culture. Keynote speakers will include His Excellency John Ralston Saul, founder and honorary chair of French for the Future; the Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Health, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister responsible for Official Languages; the Honourable Denis Coderre, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada; the Honourable Lyle Oberg, Minister of Learning, Government of Alberta; and Dr. Ian Richmond, National President, Canadian Parents for French.

WHERE:

The Novotel Toronto Centre Hotel, 45 The Esplanade, Toronto

WHEN:

The symposium will take place on March 2, 3 and 4, 2004.

WHY:

To develop a strategy to help achieve the objective outlined in the federal government's Action Plan for Official Languages, which is to double, by 2013, the number of bilingual young Canadians