In September 2017, RDÉE Canada (the Economic Development and Employability Network) celebrated its 20th anniversary. This milestone in the history of our organization was an opportunity to celebrate our achievements and remember that our bilingualism is a major force for our country. It was also an ideal opportunity to launch national and rallying projects for Francophone minority communities.

We are proud to have launched the Heritage, Cultural and Tourism Corridor Project, which receives financial support from Canadian Heritage as well as significant assistance from the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie. The objective of this national project, which already lists 350 heritage, cultural and tourism products, is to create a pathway for tourists wishing to discover the best of what Francophones from all over the country have to offer.

In addition to this major project, RDÉE Canada carried out several other initiatives on all fronts. We took part in several consultations to highlight our Network’s views and expertise on entrepreneurship and economic development, including tourism, immigration, and youth. Concrete projects were launched in the context of developing Canada’s new Action Plan for Official Languages. To ensure the success of our many initiatives, we reiterated our desire to continue partnering with the Government of Canada to meet the needs of FACs by implementing large-scale projects focused on economic development and job creation. These achievements are made possible thanks to our devoted team and our Board of Directors’ engagement whom I wish to thank for their precious commitment.

RDÉE Canada remains committed to supporting its members in implementing the priority strategies each of them has identified, in a spirit of cooperation and for the common good of our communities. The path travelled during the year was marked out by our members in each province and each of the three territories. They are the ones who work daily in our communities to showcase the strength, creativity and specificity of Canada’s FACs.

Moreover, with this goal in mind, we will continue to implement our 2017–2020 Strategic Plan, which will coherently position all innovative projects underway—and those to be added over the coming months!

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Continuing Along the Path to Success for our Francophone Communities

Jean-Guy Bigeau

Chief Executive Officer