The absence of Quebec from the last edition of the Games of La Francophonie did not go unnoticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), note Canadian diplomats, who report no security problem during the event.
“No health or safety incidents were reported by Canadian participants. [Les autorités congolaises] were able to hold [leurs] promises and [de] deliver Games in a safe environment,” reads Canada’s mission report obtained by The duty under the Access to Information Act.
Concerns about security during the event were, however, the reason given by Quebec for not participating in the sporting and cultural celebration, which was held in the country’s capital, Kinshasa, from July 28 to August 6, except to send a few diplomats there. Canada, for its part, sent a delegation, although small, after hesitation.
In his official assessment, recorded in an email entitled “A remarkable presence of Canada despite everything! », Federal foreign service agent Lysanne Roberge praises the diplomatic benefits of the trip, while criticizing Quebec’s false leap.
” Several [athlètes et artistes de la délégation canadienne] told us that the media releases before the Games as well as the withdrawal of Quebec had a negative impact on their preparations for the various competitions. »
During his speech, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi even said: “It is in difficult times that we recognize our true friends. » The sentence is fully transcribed in the report intended for the headquarters of Canadian diplomacy, in Ottawa.
Annoyed host
In Kinshasa, these remarks were interpreted as a thinly veiled criticism of the Quebec position, which caused a lot of noise in the local media during the summer, confirms Duty another member of the diplomatic corps present on site, who requested anonymity since he did not have permission to discuss the matter publicly.
The DRC deployed its police, presidential guard and military units to ensure the security of the event. Canada had hired the security company Garda World and assigned liaison officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to ensure the security of its delegation.
This did not prevent the public – whose mass presence was able to “contribute to the success of the Games”, according to Ottawa – from sometimes mingling with the athletes and artists. This proximity was “without major consequences given the enthusiasm of the crowd”, we can read. The report emphasizes that the Canadian presence has “made it possible to strengthen [sa] posture with other members of the Francophonie”, and that the country and its delegates “will have made many friends” thanks to the meeting.
In Quebec, the office of the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Martine Biron, expresses no remorse for having ignored the main aspects of this international Francophone meeting.
“Quebec carried out two technical missions in January 2023 and May 2023. The reports from these missions showed us that the conditions to ensure the safety of athletes and artists were not met. It was a thoughtful and responsible decision [à prendre] in light of the information available to us at that time,” indicates his press secretary, Catherine Boucher, in a written statement.
She adds that her government sent diplomats, a gesture which would have earned it thanks from the DRC ambassador to Canada.
Over budget
Furthermore, the Ottawa mission report reveals that the travel budget allocated by the Department of Canadian Heritage was exceeded. The delegation had to seek help from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), another department. AMC clarified Duty not having provided any financial assistance, but rather a paid service for sending equipment by diplomatic bags to the Canadian delegation.
This is due to organizational problems with the Francophonie Games detailed in a redacted passage from the mission report. Under its Access to Information Act, the government can withhold information “the disclosure of which would reasonably be likely to be prejudicial to the conduct of international affairs,” among other reasons.
Athletes and artists representing Canada, but also others part of the New Brunswick delegation, measured themselves against their equivalents from other member states of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). The Canadian delegation included 44, and returned home with four gold medals, six silver and three bronze.