News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – New Brunswick is now the only remaining bidder for the 9th Games of La Francophonie in 2021.

On March 1, the advisory committee of the Comité international des Jeux de la Francophonie (international committee of the Francophonie Games) met in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and decided to support Canada-New Brunswick’s bid for the Games. The event would be held in Dieppe and Moncton.

The only other bidder was Quebec (Sherbrooke). The Quebec government announced that it is joining the consensus reached in Abidjan and that it is supporting New Brunswick’s bid.

“Now that New Brunswick in the only bidder left in the running, it looks like we will be hosting the Games of La Francophonie in 2012,” said Post-Secondary, Training and Labour Minister Francine Landry, who is also the minister responsible for La Francophonie. “We will be delighted and proud to be given the privilege to organize this major event. It will be a defining moment for the province.”

There are still a few steps remaining in the process of designating the location of the Games. The advisory committee’s recommendation will be reviewed on April 7 by the Conseil permanent de la Francophonie (permanent council of La Francophonie). The permanent council will then make its recommendation to the Conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie (ministerial conference of La Francophonie), which will make a recommendation to the Francophonie Summit being held in Madagascar in November.

Landry led the New Brunswick delegation, which travelled to Abidjan earlier this month to present the province’s bid.

“I congratulate the members of the delegation for the convincing presentation made in Abidjan, and I thank Premier Brian Gallant for his support since the very beginning,” said Landry. “I would also like to point out the incredible work that has been done for nearly a year by the members of the bid committee, who believed in our chances.”

The delegation consisted of members of the provincial government and representatives of the cities of Dieppe and Moncton, the Université de Moncton, the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, as well as community members and the bid committee.

“The bid committee and all of the project partners have worked hard during the past year to promote our region’s potential to host the Games,” said committee spokesperson Éric Mathieu Doucet. “We are proud of the results.”

The Games are the largest sporting and cultural event of the Francophonie dedicated to youth. They are held every four years, in the year following the Olympic Summer Games.

The economic spinoffs of this event are considerable. The 2021 Games are expected to attract more than 3,000 athletes from nearly 60 countries. The spinoffs are estimated at $25 million, including $22 million in the two host cities.

Landry indicated that the Games are open to all New Brunswickers.

“There is no language requirement to participate in this event,” she said. “Anyone aged 18 to 35 can try their luck at being a part of the provincial delegation, as was the case in the first seven editions of the Games and as will be the case for the Games taking place next year in Abidjan.”

New Brunswick is a full member of the International Organization of La Francophonie, and hosted the Francophonie Summit in Moncton in 1999. The province works with the organization and other members in sectors such as youth, education, training, economics, and sustainable development.