50th anniversary of the Franco-Ontarian flag
Today, September 25, 2025, marked the 50th anniversary of the Franco-Ontarian flag. This flag, officially unveiled in 1975 was adopted as the official emblem of the Franco-Ontarian community by the Ontario Legislative Assembly in 2001. The flag’s colours represent the province’s climate – green for summer and white for winter. The lily represents worldwide Francophonie and the trillium, Ontario’s floral emblem.
To honour this historical day, the Charles-Émile-Claude Centre hosted an evening celebration with live music, locally sourced hors-d’oeuvres and wine and custom donuts. Many attendants were proudly dressed in the flag colours, and the atmosphere was one of festivity.
To kick-off the event, Anita Landriault, President of the CCEC gave a welcoming address. To the sound of applause, Céline Baillargeon-Tardif, General Director of ACFO – SDG, proclaimed, “Today, by raising our flag high, we strongly affirm that we are proud of our identity, proud of our roots, and confident in the future of our community.”
After relating the history of the flag, Cassandra McElhone, Coordinator of Local Francophonie (ACFO-SDG), expressed, “The Franco-Ontarian flag is not just a simple piece of fabric; it is a promise, the promise that the French language will continue to thrive and reign in Ontario for generations to come.” Following her discourse, everyone was invited to sing the Franco-Ontarian Flag hymn, “Mon Beau Drapeau,” written by Brian St-Pierre. We sang, waving our flags, accompanied by a video on a big screen.
The speeches ended with a joint address by Flora Cynthia Kra, President of the AFRO-Diversity Festival, and Philippe Dieudonné, President of Actions Bwabochèt. They spoke about the flag connecting everyone through language across the world with “multi-coloured accents” and “green and white magic.”
