Vancouver — 10,000 students from across British Columbia competed, 235 made the provincial finals, including 16 from North Vancouver in this year’s pan-provincial French public speaking competition, Concours d’art oratoire.

« Concours is a fabulous celebration of excellence in French language education. Through participation in Concours, students develop confidence in French as well as develop their public speaking skills. These are the kind of skills needed in today‘s global society and ultimately these students  will gain greater employability as a result. As effective communicators, they will become the leaders of tomorrow, » said Diane Tijman, President of Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon.

« We are so proud of all our Concours participants. Bravo à vous tous et toutes pour votre belle participation! »

This year marked the 35th anniversary of the Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon sponsored Concours d’art oratoire. The provincial finals were hosted Saturday, May 5th at SFU Surrey.

We thank all the local volunteers and teachers, as well as the BC Ministry of Education, Canadian Heritage, and le Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique for their financial support.