Canadian Parents for French, Nova Scotia would like to congratulate the Nova Scotian students at the 16th edition of the Canadian Parents for French National Concours d’art oratoire held in Ottawa on June 2, 2018.

This year’s competition welcomed 38 finalists from across Canada to compete and enjoy sightseeing in the nation’s capital. From a total of 62,000 participants nationwide, the 38 finalists competed in five categories ranging from core French to Francophone. They spoke on topics such as the plight of Indigenous women in Canada, child poverty in Canada, the strength of emotional memories, as well as the illegal practice of female genital mutilation in Egypt.

Three Nova Scotian participants, Dâphnée Auclair (Havre Boucher, Nova Scotia), Zeeshan Asim (Sydney, Nova Scotia) and Sherry Eskander (Halifax, Nova Scotia), who championed the Provincial competition, went on to compete nationally and won second and third place in their respective categories.

Dâphnée Auclair, a student at École Acadienne de Pomquet in Pomquet Nova, Scotia, won second place in the Francophone category. The theme of Dâphnée’s speech was American Sign Language. Not only did Dâphnée share her knowledge of the French language, but throughout her speech signed American Sign Language using French sentence structure.

This was the first time Dâphnée participated nationally; she was extremely excited and proud of this accomplishment. She shared with us the positive experience she had in Ottawa, “My favourite part about participating at the National Concours is that it turned out to be less serious than I thought it was going to be. I loved the fact that it was kind of like a Leadership Conference within a competition. It was a lighthearted activity and gave all the participants a chance to relax before and after competitions and have loads of fun.” She continued, “To participate in the Concours and represent official bilingualism in Canada means absolutely everything to me. It was an absolute honour to have the opportunity to participate in this amazing competition. Participating in Concours at the National level shows me that all the hard work and long hours I put into this speech were all worth it and that I am meant to pursue my passion in public speaking and American Sign Language.”

Zeeshan Asim, a student at Sydney Academy in Sydney, Nova Scotia, won third place in the Integrated French category. Zeeshan shared a dynamic speech about Tae Kwan Do. Zeeshan received an $18 000 scholarship to the University of Ottawa. This was also Zeeshan’s first time participating in the Concours d’art oratoire, “My favourite part about participating in the Concours was meeting all the talented teens from across Canada. We participated in many activities and had a blast around Ottawa. We toured parliament, went to the mall, participated in an escape room, and had many meals together. Overall I met many new friends, and had an amazing experience!” Zeeshan also shared what participating in the Concours meant to him, “I believe that participating in Concours shows appreciation for the diverse languages in Canada, especially an appreciation of one of the official languages of Canada. The Concours shows that French is being spoken throughout Canada.”

Sherry Eskander, a student at Halifax West High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, won third place in the Late French Immersion category for her speech on Global Warming. “Each and every one had a different topic to share and it was very interesting to hear the speeches everyone prepared and be informed about the topic they presented. I really appreciate having that chance and I would like to thank CPF for that.” She continued, “I was honoured to be able to participate in the Concours, it meant a lot to me. It was a chance to share my passion for my topic but also for me to be able to share my love for bilingualism in Canada, because I do believe that learning French is very important here in Canada and it is something to be proud of, to be able to speak two languages. I hope to see other students continue to participate in the Concours for years to come because it truly is a rewarding experience.”

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Dâphnée, Zeeshan, and Sherry for sharing their experiences participating in Concours. The event, which offers over $500,000 in scholarships from the University of Ottawa, Université de Moncton, Université Sainte-Anne and Université de Saint-Boniface, is a reminder that year after year Canadian youth value French education and that access to quality French language programs is an important element in attaining this goal.

Félicitations à nos trois Néo-Écossais!