Under the sumptuous glass roof of the Grand Palais in Paris, the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) closed its work on Saturday in which around fifty member countries and around thirty heads of state and government participated. While the attention of the delegates was mainly focused on the state of war in which Lebanon finds itself today, the Quebec Prime Minister wanted to bring the organization back to its primary concerns.
While many observers deplore the lack of action by the OIF in the defense and promotion of French, Legault believes that the OIF must meet with the digital giants and demand from them a minimum of products in French. He also wants the organization which brings together 88 member countries with French in common to be directly involved in the negotiations.
It was in a workshop with young entrepreneurs, after having deplored among young people “an attraction towards English-speaking culture”, that he said he would like “to see the OIF get involved in major negotiations with large digital companies to demand […] a minimum of content in French. » It could “also apply to all languages other than English”, he specifies.
The Prime Minister took advantage of his presence at the summit to invite all the Ministers of Culture of the OIF member countries to an international conference on the subject which will be held next May in Quebec.
Under the leadership of Quebec, UNESCO is already working to formulate a proposal on the same subject which could be submitted to its assembly in May 2025. “We unfortunately know that a lot of the digital world happens in English,” said happy to say Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The subject was barely mentioned at a press conference other than to announce the creation of a Center for Artificial Intelligence and La Francophonie.
Behind closed doors, in front of heads of state and government, François Legault spoke in particular about the increase in migratory flows almost everywhere on the planet and the challenges that this poses in terms of social and linguistic integration.
Lebanon controversy
48 hours before the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre, all summit participants had their eyes on Lebanon. According to several sources, the special resolution adopted at the end of the summit was the subject of heated debate given the presence of seven member countries of the Arab League and several countries that do not recognize Israel such as Niger, Tunisia and Mauritania. This is without counting Mali, currently suspended but which could soon regain its seat.
The resolution simply calls for an immediate ceasefire and solidarity with the Lebanese people without mentioning Israel or Hezbollah.
“We couldn’t even name Israel in the declaration, because every time we name Israel, there are many countries that are in solidarity with Israel, unfortunately. They cannot see what is happening in Lebanon,” Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said on Radio France International, who said he feared “a new Gaza in Lebanon.”
On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Trudeau made a point of emphasizing that he “denounced several times Israel’s actions which led to too many civilian deaths. We understand how appalling the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas was and demanded a response to protect Israeli civilians.”
But, he adds, “The cost of Israel’s security cannot be the death of civilians in such an intense way.”
Justin Trudeau also refused to say whether an invasion of southern Lebanon by Israel represented, for him, a red line that should not be crossed. “We must be aware that Hamas and Hezbollah are not only attacking Israel […] but that they cause the death of many Lebanese and Palestinians,” he specifies.
Of the 6,000 Canadians who have already shown interest in repatriation, only 1,000 have already been, said Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. “If you are offered a seat on a flight, take it!” »
The Prime Minister also welcomed the admission to the OIF, as an observer, of Nova Scotia, which thus joins Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario.
Refusing to “highlight the differences in domestic policies when [il est] abroad”, he was not very forthcoming regarding the desire of the Prime Minister of Quebec to see applied a “compulsory” program allowing half of the asylum seekers to be moved to Quebec which receives much more than its share. “We have been acting for years […] and we will continue to be there to support Quebec,” he said. “While protecting fundamental rights,” he said in English.
A demonstration for French
For the first time on the occasion of an OIF summit, a press conference was held in Paris on Saturday to denounce France’s lack of regard for the French language and “the abandonment of a real State policy of defense and promotion of French. Under the aegis of the High International Council of the French Language and Francophonie, several organizations defending the French language have demanded that the OIF refocus on its primary mission. The members of the High Council call to “restore the attacked and disintegrating global Francophonie and its International Organization (OIF)”. For Rear Admiral Claude Gaucherand, “the abandonment of language is the ultimate step in the abandonment of sovereignty”.
Another first, an event in which several French-speaking countries were represented linked the Arab World Institute (IMA) to the Francophonie Village.
After a moratorium period, the OIF will have five new members: Angola, Chile, Nova Scotia, French Polynesia, and the state of Saarland. In two years, the next summit will be held in Cambodia.