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HAY RIVER
A different flag was hoisted outside Hay River town hall last Thursday to remind Hay River, and all of Canada, about the rich culture behind our second official language.

Victoria Tweedie-Pitre and Kaitlyn Ring hoist the territorial Francophonie flag on March 8 in from of Hay River town hall. - Angele Cano/NNSL photo

The event was part of the Journée International Francophonie that took place on March 8 in Hay River. In Canada, the day is expanded to include several large assemblies of Francophone Canadians in cities, towns and communities across the country during rendez-vous du Francophonie.

Flags are raised and people gather between March 9-25 to keep the spirit of French speaking Canada alive, flourishing and out in the open. It’s been three years since the Francophonie flag has been raised on this day in Hay River.

Edith Vachon-Raymond is an educational assistant and French monitor at Ecole Boreale School in Hay River and is on the board of the Hay River French Association. She took on organizing the event and flag-raising this year.

Late on chilly March morning Vachon-Raymond and teacher Natalie Paquin lead students from their small school to the town hall, carrying a large NWT Francophonie flag and waving several smaller French-Canada representing flags while chanting merrily along.

“The rising of the francophone flag is something going on everywhere in Canada in the month of March,” said Vachon-Raymond. “It’s important for people to realize there is not only a French school in town but also a French community. For the kids, it’s important they develop a feeling that they are part of the Francophonie.”

There are also individual Francophone flags representing every province and territory in Canada. This is a fact that not all students knew, including Grade 6 student Alexa Thomson.

Before the day, students in Grades 5 and 6 were tasked with researching these distinctive flags, learning what they represent and what they stand for.

“I thought it was kind of cool that every province and territory has its own unique flag,” said Thomson.

Thomson researched Nunavut’s Francophone flag which represents the territory's history through colours and images, blue and white for sky and snow, a dome for an igloo, and a dandelion. The flag might be one of the newest of the bunch, only unveiled in 2002.

Current Vice President of HRFA Patrick Maltais also volunteers as French monitor at Diamond Jenness Secondary School. He said although many of the students are enrolled in French language classes, many didn’t know that many of the materials at the French association were at their fingertips.

“They can use this place as a resource if they want to come and take out a book or a movie,” said Maltais. “I came here with my group from DJ three weeks ago and they didn’t know they could be members.”

Yellowknife commemorated the Francophonie flag the following day, March 9.

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