It was an evening of glamour at Iqaluit's Discovery Hotel on June 20 as the francophone community came out to celebrate 15 years of contributions to Nunavut.
"It's great to be here today," said Carrefour Nunavut general director Francis Essebou. "We're represented by the international community here tonight."
He cited the diverse origins of much of the francophone community, as well as the visiting presidents of other regional branches present from Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Ontario.
When speaking on the aims of the Carrefour itself, Essebou emphasized that "the most important thing is employability — attracting people here, and finding them a place... we also promote in Nunavut to other francophones. We invite them here to discover the North. We provide information to people who arrive."
Essebou also mentioned programs Carrefour offers such as daycare, which accommodates close to 70 children of working parents, and summer camps to help newcomers learn about and acclimate to Nunavut culture.
Bernice Clarke spoke on the subject of informing the next generation of Nunavummiut as she lit the qulliit with her daughter and explained her own gradual relearning of Inuit ways from her grandmother.
Among the prestigious guests was Julie Tremblay, president of Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité (RDEE) Canada, a federal francophone economic development organization, of which Carrefour is a part.
"I think it's wonderful, the work they're doing here with youths," she said. "It's so isolating [in Nunavut] that every effort is amplified. It's such a resourceful community... fifteen years just really underlines [that] resourcefulness and what can happen when you work together. There are so many languages here, and the fact that the French community is so well represented showcases its importance, but is also not surprising."
Karliin Aariak, Nunavut's language commissioner, was also in attendance to show her support for the French-speaking community, as French is one of the territory's official languages.
"I congratulate the community. it's a never-ending process of languages no matter what level anyone is. We continue to do lifelong learning," said Aariak. "I encourage that because how else can we grow as a community?"