Ottawa, October 3, 2007
On the Trail of Champlain:
Developing Francophone Tourism in Ontario
Conference on Francophone Tourism in Ontario
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
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Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to join you at this meeting, which brings together people from all across Ontario, from L’Orignal to Moose Factory. You could say the hunting season is upon us!
The names of these municipalities remind us of the essential assets of our province. The great moose evokes our beautiful natural spaces. Furthermore, our two languages, English and French, allow us to name very different realities that thrive side by side. Ontario has a past, a present and a future that is Anglophone, Francophone and bilingual.
Moose Factory is a village near James Bay whose roots date back to the 1670s and the early days of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The village takes pride in being the first Anglophone settlement in Ontario. L’Orignal, in the far southeast of the province, is in the heart of a region that was settled by Francophones at the beginning of the 19th century.
Between these two communities there is all of Ontario to discover, “Yours to Discover,” as the saying goes. But which Ontario are we talking about?
In the past, tourists too often believed that Ontario was an English-speaking province. However, for some time now people have worked to promote French-speaking Ontario—its history, its attractions, its diversity and its thriving communities. I am happy to see that these efforts have been increasingly successful in the past few years, and that French Ontario is increasingly visible.
In the 1960s, the late Quebec premier Daniel Johnson said he wanted Quebec to be as French as Ontario was English. Thirty years later, Bernard Landry didn’t say this (he said he wanted Quebec to be as French as Argentina is Spanish) because he knew the steps that Ontario had taken towards the recognition of French along with English.
One of Ontario's success stories is the Circuit Champlain, set up by Destination Nord. The trail, which closely follows the route taken by Samuel de Champlain in 1615, is the cornerstone of tourism development in French Ontario.
You could say that Champlain, explorer and founder of Québec City, was Ontario’s first Francophone tourist. He passed by what is now L’Orignal as he paddled up the Ottawa River in 1615. He named the Rideau River and Chaudière Falls. He went past Mattawa, the French River, Georgian Bay and Huronia. His journey was not limited to Québec City alone, by any means!
Journalist Regina Nadelson said that “most travel is best of all in the anticipation or the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage”—or in Champlain’s case, his astrolabe.
Clearly, Ontario has changed a lot since Champlain’s time, and so has tourism.
But the fact remains that a tourist is a visitor who has a passion, as Champlain did, for discovery.
For me, my life changed when I discovered the Francophone culture during an archaeology project in Quebec when I was a student. Over the years, French-speaking Canada became a passion; a passion that still inspires me today.
You, Franco-Ontarians, have the power to inspire interest and passion. You also have the duty to do so. In fact, minority communities are destined for excellence. You have proven on many occasions that you know how to roll up your sleeves and tackle challenges. The conference that is opening today and the growth in Francophone tourism are a testament to your success. Well done!
Of course Ontario does not have the beaches of New Brunswick, or the Rocky Mountains. Without such a powerful picture for the Ontario brand to capture the imagination, you have the good fortune to be able to invent and re-invent your image. This is a real advantage that should not be ignored. The Francophone-themed tourist attractions that have been developed in recent years show great originality. For example, the local Foire gourmande Ô Délices and agri-tour combine culinary pleasures, local produce and the Francophone culture. Without falling back onto folklorism or exoticism, Francophone tourist projects celebrate differences as well as uniqueness, creation and tradition. You must continue on this path, showcasing a Franco-Ontarian identity that has a rich past and a promising future.
There are many opportunities to be seized. Soon, Franco-Ontarians will have the ears of Quebeckers, when Canada celebrates the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City by Samuel de Champlain. You can remind them that Champlain came to Ontario by canoe and that he enjoyed his trip very much. You can also share with them a well-kept secret: that there are more than half a million Francophones in Ontario and more than 1.3 million people speak French! A Decima poll, released in 2006, revealed that the potential Quebec market for the Ontario tourism industry was huge!1
Ontario tourism faces a special challenge, as it can no longer count on American tourists. The combined effects of 9-11, rising gasoline prices and the parity of the Canadian dollar have led to a drop in the number of American visitors. At the same time, the strength of our dollar encourages Canadians to go to the United States. Faced with this challenge, Ontario must turn its attention towards Quebec; and to attract Quebec tourists, you need to be able to provide service in French.
That being said, while it may seem strange, one of the challenges of Francophone tourism in Ontario is the lack of demand for service in French. Many Francophone and Francophile travellers use tourist services without requesting service in French. The health care sector faces the same challenge. Work is needed to develop a reflex among travellers to use French. To do this, it helps to make French-language or bilingual service more visible, as you are already doing in your tourist guide.
In its tourism development guide, Destination Nord adds that to attract—and satisfy—French-speaking tourists from Quebec, Ontario tourism businesses must focus on full bilingualism—from bilingual employees to signage and menus.
I completely agree with this conclusion. I am sure that you do as well! Not only will enhanced bilingualism attract more Francophone tourists, but it will also encourage a greater respect for the linguistic duality of the province and the country as a whole. And as I like to put it, it would certainly foster a national dialogue.
Since we’re here in Ottawa today, I cannot pass up the opportunity to mention the good, and the not so good, performance of our national capital. The capital’s information centres and major tourist attractions provide a good example of active offer of services in both official languages. However, tourists, as we all know, also go to shops, restaurants and hotels—which often have a poor record in terms of the offer of, or even the accessibility to, service in French.
Since the start of my term as Commissioner, and in my first annual report, I have reminded people that the national capital must project “a faithful image of Canadian linguistic duality” to the region’s residents and to the Francophone visitors who come here each year. I said I wanted to see continuous improvement of French services in Ottawa. It is simply no longer acceptable in 2007 that a Quebecker coming to Ottawa on business and wanting to be served in French in a food court is told that in Ottawa “We speak English.” Restaurant owners should recruit more bilingual young people trained in the region’s schools, as hotel owners seem to have managed to do.
Mindsets also have to change. English and French are our two national languages. They do not belong to one group or another, but to all Canadians. In this sense, we all have the responsibility, as Francophiles or Francophones, to request service in French more often. Thanks to the efforts that have been made throughout the province, some places in Ontario, such as Orillia, have already seen an increase in demand for service in French. So we’re on the right track.
As you know, the success of Franco-Ontarian tourism depends on the travellers, the workers in this sector, the political decision-makers and the Franco-Ontarian community. And I can see that you are becoming better at harmonizing these different points of view, to the benefit of Francophone tourism. The one-of-a-kind classification system proposed by RDÉE for all of Canada is a great step forward, and your support for this project is very fitting. At the provincial level, Direction Ontario is working with several associations to develop and promote Francophone tourism. The concepts being developed are very attractive and effective, as shown by the progress achieved thanks to the Circuit Champlain: an ever-growing number of publications and Web sites.
In fact, there is nothing stopping the village of Moonbeam, which has been associated for many years with UFOs, from preparing to welcome interplanetary Francophone travellers! Perhaps they would have more success if they had bilingual signs.
To some extent, the role of Ontario tourism promoters is similar to mine, which is to promote and protect our two official languages. One of the key elements of Francophone tourism is also an important community issue, and that is visibility. By raising your profile to welcome visitors, you can also raise your self-esteem and respect as a community.
Today, I am here first and foremost as a promoter. I have come to support your efforts and to recognize your successes, which will benefit all of Canada. By demonstrating your interest in Francophone tourism, you are associating yourself with the core value behind Canada’s language policy, which is respect: respect for the two official languages, for the unilingual population and for official language minority communities.
Tourism is an important tool for community development. It affects the economic, cultural and social vitality of a community. Through your efforts to develop Francophone tourism, you are contributing to the overall development of the Franco-Ontarian community, and indirectly, of language minorities across the country. In my work, I am always looking for examples of leadership—and I recognize that the progress achieved and taking place in the tourism industry is proof that Ontario is teeming with leaders in linguistic duality.
I would like to mention in passing that, as leaders, you can help build bridges between federal institutions and Ontario’s tourism industry. As you may know, the Official Languages Act was strengthened in 2005. From now on, all federal institutions—not just Canadian Heritage—have the duty to take positive measures to fulfill the government’s commitment to promoting linguistic duality and community development. There are certainly projects and partnerships that could be set up to help strengthen tourism, the Franco-Ontarian community and linguistic duality.
Let’s not forget that Ontario plays a key role in the Canadian federation in many ways. As a result, Franco-Ontarians have a leading role to play in ensuring that bilingualism is at the heart of the Canadian identity.
I encourage you to continue to develop your leadership and to share your successes and best practices. Again, hats off to you.
Thank you.
1Bulletin de développement touristique francophone de l’Ontario, volume 15, Summer 2007, p.1.
