The Canadian state and the empowerment of the Francophone minority communities regarding their economic development

This article deals with the collective efforts of the Francophone minority communities (FMCs), that is, Francophones outside the province of Quebec, to ensure their economic development. After a brief historical overview of the economic development forms taken by the FMCs, we will more closely analyze its current form, focusing on the partnership tendency between these FMCs and the state. The FMCs did not rely on the state before the 1970s for their development, since networks of Francophone associations took charge of their overall development. When the Official Languages Act came into effect in 1969, the situation changed in favor of an increasing development of a partnership between the government and the FMCs, assisted by funding. In this article, we present the form taken by this partnership in the economic sector, focusing on the first program set up by the Canadian state to specifically encourage the economic development of Francophone minorities: the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDEE). The RDEE gave FMCs access to the first economic development government instrument aimed specifically at them. The RDEE looks to adopt a partnership approach and encourage empowerment among FMCs. The analysis shows some of the partnership issues involved in the real implication of the empowerment by these communities for their own development, the sometimes difficult link between the governance structures and the FMCs' networks, as well as the legitimacy of the governance structures implemented within the RDEE. Adapted from the source document