It’s April, a new fiscal year – and, a new funding contribution agreement term 2023-2026 – is upon us! CPF Branch and National office staff are busy with National Volunteer Week activities and planning for their annual financial audits and general business meetings.

The Canadian Parents for French National Board has a vision for a strong, equitable and resilient Network, focused on building shared leadership, supporting engaged membership and volunteers, and delivering relevant, quality programming to parents and youth learning and using French.

Federal Budget 2023, Next Action Plan for Official Languages

On March 28, 2023, the Federal Government released the Budget 2023 which includes more than $1 billion in new investments for the 2023-2028 Action Plan. Budget 2023 highlights are available at the following link.

Considering the existing investments of $2.7 billion from the 2018-2023 Action Plan for Official Languages, which are now ongoing and permanent, and the $208 million over five years to expand employment assistance for official language minority communities, Budget 2023 represents over $4 billion over five years for official languages. 

The 2023-2028 Action Plan will be unveiled in the coming weeks. It will present the Government of Canada's priorities and approach to official languages, as committed to in the reform document entitled English and French: Towards Real Equality of Official Languages in Canada. In addition, it takes into account the priorities expressed by English-speaking and Francophone minority communities and will be implemented in a "by and for" optic, as did the previous Action Plan.

The Action Plan is scheduled to be announced in April, although CPF National has been told delays may be inevitable. CPF National will provide updates to CPF Branches as further information is received.

Governance Review Update – Re-imagining CPF 2.0

On March 20^th, The CPF National Board was pleased to share a draft of the CPF Network Affiliation Agreement which aims to formalize the roles and obligations of the parties to the Agreement (the backbone organization and all Branches) while making explicit ways to deepen our collaboration. Yves Savoie prepared a brief video recorded session to guide Branches in their understanding of the document and to support their discussions. Click here to watch it.
 
Each CPF Branch Board of Directors was invited to review this document at its upcoming meeting (or to convene a meeting for this purpose if one is not already scheduled) and to provide a summary of input and feedback on substantive matters or areas lacking clarity directly to Yves at yves@yvessavoie.ca by April 20^th, 2023.
 
A virtual session on Friday, April 28^th at 12:00 (ET) for all Board members and Executive Directors will have Yves on hand to answer questions about the draft agreement and reflect on the input and feedback received. A reminder of this information session with relevant Zoom information will be issued to all participants closer to the date.
 
A final version, incorporating feedback received, of the CPF Network Affiliation Agreement, is scheduled to be circulated and posted on the CPF National Website on May 6^th, 2023. CPF Branches will be invited to sign the agreement at their convenience, up until June 30^th, 2023. The term proposed for the draft agreement is aligned with the timeframe of our core program funding agreement, April 2023 to March 2026.
 
The CPF National Board looks forward to completing this initial formalization phase which will allow us to direct our attention outward, increasing our CPF Network impact to champion the opportunity to learn and use French for all those who call Canada home. 

CPF Celebrates National Volunteer Week - April 16 to 22, 2023

The work we do at CPF could not be made possible without the tireless efforts of our volunteers. CPF National promotes National Volunteer Week on our social media channels, sends out approximately 150 Thank You cards to Branch selected volunteers. And for the 3^rd year, we are sponsoring a CPF Chapter/Team Recognition Contest. Chapters and Teams can submit their idea of their dream event to host for their community for the chance to win $1000, $750, or $500 to fund their event. Proposals must be submitted by Sunday, April 23^rd and 3 winners will be announced.
  

CPF Network Virtual Advocacy Stakeholder Meetings – Spring 2023

This year’s advocacy meetings will focus on the importance of learning French in the Early Years, sharing our advocacy brief publication with key government stakeholders.

Marcos Salaiza, CPF National Communications Manager, circulated a template letter for  all CPF Leaders to extend meeting requests to their respective Member of Parliament as constituents. Click here to access the letter.

The virtual meetings will be scheduled to take place between April 15^th and June 15^th, usually for 20-30 minute duration.

CPF advocacy teams of three are created: these trios aim to represent a balance of CPF Branch & National and volunteer & staff mix to meet with the stakeholders. CPF National will provide all participants with backgrounder notes and key questions to guide the meetings. Contact Marcos Salaiza, msalaiza@cpf.ca, with questions or for additional information.

CPF National Parent Information Session – Helping your Child to Read in French, May 31^st

CPF National has hired BC based, K-12 certified French immersion teacher, Nicole Balston, to share tips and concrete strategies with parents supporting their child learning to read in French. Nicole is a reading specialist whose specialty is teaching students (and parents) the rules behind the French code so they can read confidently in French. She is passionate about giving parents concrete strategies to support French immersion...even if they don't know French themselves! For more information visit her website.
 
This webinar is free and open exclusively to Canadian Parents for French members. The session will be recorded for those that are not able to attend on May 31st, and posted on the CPF National website for reference.

• Registration is via the Calendar of Events on the CPF National website.

While many CPF Branches have returned to in person competitions for this year’s Concours d’art oratoire events, CPF National is continuing with a virtual ‘Video Edition’ in 2023. First place Concours winners at the Branch level will be required to submit a video to CPF National of the same speech presented during the competition to be considered for the National competition.
 
We thank all CPF Branches for their help in ensuring this key piece of information is clearly communicated to all participants interested in the National level competition: Only first place winners from each of the five categories may be submitted for consideration at the National Finals.
 
Registration opens May 1st and all videos must be received by May 26^th, 2023, as judging takes place June 1^st-10^th, 2023. Contact Marcos Salaiza, msalaiza@cpf.ca, with questions or for additional information.
 

CPF NETWORK SPRING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
As part of the CPF risk mitigation measures, CPF National reminds each CPF Branch of their responsibility to review CPF Network Policies with CPF volunteer leaders and staff on an annual basis.
 
CPF National has hosted and continues to host education sessions each spring. Many of the past sessions have been recorded to allow Branches to refer to these as part of their reviews.

1. On April 13^th, CPF National sponsored the participation of 8 CPF staff leaders in a half day CSAE virtual workshop called, Exploring Unconscious Bias toward Conscious Inclusion.
2. Creating Respectful and Inclusive Workplaces – two recorded sessions from 2022, facilitated by Robin Turnill, Pivot HR. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2.
3. CPF National has secured spaces for interested CPF participants in two Pivot HR virtual sessions planned for spring 2023. Please contact Cathy Stone, cstone@cpf.ca, directly to request to be considered for participation in either session:

• May 30^th – Managing Microaggressions at Work
• June 20^th – Be a Better Ally: What you Need to Know about Allyship

4. CPF National is confirming a date in late May for an education session on Volunteer Screening Requirements (registration of CPF volunteers, police checks, vulnerable sector checks) for staff responsible for managing volunteers. More details will be forwarded soon.

Other Learning Opportunities – Charity Village Connects
Each month, Charity Village produces a podcast that explores topics via interviews with non-profit subject matter experts, such as diversity, equity and inclusion, mental health in the workplace, the gap in female representation in leadership, and many other subjects. The podcasts offer insight to help you make connections, to help navigate challenges, and support our organization to deliver on its mission. These titles may be helpful to CPF Branch leaders and staff:

• Workplace Mental Health In Canada’s Non-profit Sector: It’s Time For A Check Up (February 22, 2023)
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion In Canada’s Non-profit Sector (January 23, 2023)
• How Non-profits Can Better Ally With Indigenous Organizations (October 19, 2022)  Access the Charity Village Podcasts here.