Two smiling students hold Franco-Ontarian flags during Franco-Ontarian Day at the University of Ottawa.
In 1975, a green and white flag was raised for the first time at the Université de Sudbury. Thanks to youth, it quickly became the symbol of a community that refused to disappear and was insisting on its place. Fifty years later, it represents memories of struggle, along with the wave of solidarity and creativity of a constantly changing francophone community.

Passing on and reinventing the francophonie

At the University of Ottawa, as well, the flag flies proudly over our campus. After all, French is deep in our DNA, our mission and our values. It’s what sets us apart, what enriches us and what brings us together in all its diversity. Founded by francophones in 1848, the University has a special mandate: to spread French culture in Ontario and foster the emergence of a modern francophone community, confident and open to the world.

The University expresses this commitment through initiatives that meet current challenges. It offers a wide choice of academic programs in French, including many that are one of a kind in French Ontario. It also is committed to scholarship in French, including through the Collège des chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone (CCRMF), which offers insight on topics such as health, law, education, cultural change, immigration and international relations. With its INNOVA space, uOttawa is using the latest technology to experiment with teaching methods and advance French-language education. These projects and others are signs of a francophone academic life focused on innovation and on the future.

A podcast to promote French Ontario

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Franco-Ontarian flag, the University will launch Parlez-moi de l’Ontario français, a podcast about French Ontario that will serve as a platform for our researchers as well as members of the community. “Parlez-moi de l’Ontario français will give voice to those who are shaping today’s francophonie and imagining tomorrow’s,” says Yves Pelletier, associate vice-president, francophonie. Through these discussions, they will explore the many facets of the francophonie and the challenges that currently inspire them.

Yves Pelletier
“Parlez-moi de l’Ontario français will give voice to those who are shaping today’s francophonie and imagining tomorrow’s.”

Yves Pelletier

— Associate vice-president, Francophonie, University of Ottawa

The September 25 launch will be part of a festive day marked by a noisy tintamarre procession and the flag-raising. The celebrations will be a chance for the University community, its partners and the broader Ottawa community to come together and share their francophone pride.

An invitation to celebrate and wear the green and white

Proudly wear your green and white, join us and, together, let’s bring this celebration of Franco-Ontarian culture — one well-grounded in the present and resolutely facing the future — to life.