Community radio stations will continue contributing to the visibility and vitality of Canada's minority official-language communities thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada.

On behalf of the Honourable Josee Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages and Member of Parliament (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell), today announced funding for a number of projects led by community radio stations in Canada. The total funding of $539,471 will, among other things, be used to establish and manage community radio stations.

This announcement was made on the International Day of La Francophonie. This day highlights the importance of promoting the diversity of languages and the wealth of French-language culture in the world.

"The Government of Canada knows that print and sound media play an important role in the development of minority official-language communities," said Minister Verner. "We are proud to work together with key partners, such as the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada, to provide Francophones and Acadians in minority communities with high-quality broadcasting in their own language."

"We are pleased to support community radio in minority communities. They are communications tools that stimulate these communities' sense of identity and contribute to their development and sustainability," said Mr. Lemieux.

"We are extremely pleased about the support from the Department of Canadian Heritage for the development of our network of Francophone and Acadian radio stations," said Roger Ouellette, President of the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada. "Our radio stations play a very important role in the development of minority official-language communities and in the maintenance of the French fact."

For a list of the initiatives that benefit from the funding announced, see the attached backgrounder.

The Government of Canada has provided this funding under the Development of Official-Language Communities program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. The program seeks to promote the development of Canada's Francophone and Anglophone minorities to enable them to fully participate in all aspects of Canadian life.