I see the ACF as an insurance policy for our language and our culture. The ACF brings together the most militant people for the Francophonie and gives the Fransaskois community the voice it needs to be heard. I don't know if I would still be a francophone without the media in French, without the Fransaskois school, without the services and gatherings in French. With a collective voice, our rights can be respected. The ACF is this raised hand in the crowd that reminds us of our existence and our Francophone presence. This is where the influence of the ACF starts for me.

Throughout Canada, French-speaking communities came out during the 1960s to demand that their governments change their approach toward French-speaking minorities. The ACF was there to denounce the losses suffered by assimilation and to highlight the contribution of Saskatchewan Francophones before the Royal Commission on Bilingualism. The role of the ACF has long been to demand and demand French from the institutions that serve Canadians. Because of this constant pressure, Francophones have access to more options to be able to live in French. It is this kind of influence that today makes our country a bilingual country, that we have a French-speaking network and that Canadians increasingly accept linguistic duality.

It is obvious that, in order to maintain itself and continue to be socially interesting, our community needs to attract French-speaking immigrants. The ACF has been committed to attracting newcomers and welcoming Francophones from all over the world for 20 years now. It is essential to renew the francophone community so that it continues to create and build a dynamic lifestyle for future generations. The ACF has long seen the trends in the population and has made the effort to promote Saskatchewan abroad and has prepared the community to properly welcome new members. The influence of the ACF in this area has been a lifeline.

Among the concerns of Fransaskois families there has always been the issue of schools. French schools are the thing that has always preoccupied those who absolutely wanted to keep their French alive. The ACF has always been there for this cause, even taking responsibility for the teaching of French for more than 40 years. My involvement with the ACF began when I began to worry about the education of my children. The efforts we have made to put education in French in our communities have always been supported by the ACF or the ACFC as it was known at the time.