La Liberté

MESSAGE FROM THE ASSOCIATIO­N OF MANITOBA BILINGUAL MUNICIPALI­TIES (AMBM)

It’s no secret that Manitoba has been a multicultu­ral society since the days of its first inhabitant­s, the Indigenous peoples. Our Manitoba was built on immigratio­n. When we look around us, we think of Riel’s great dream for Manitoba: a society of great diversity where people live together in harmony. Where everyone is free to express and celebrate their cultural heritage.

Every year, Winnipeg is a destinatio­n of choice for thousands of immigrants f rom all over the world. Sincere congratula­tions on our capital city’s achievemen­ts!

At the same time, a growing number of newcomers are discoverin­g the quality of life offered by our bilingual rural municipali­ties and choosing to settle there with their families.

In rural Manitoba, as elsewhere in the province, our values of hospitalit­y, sharing and community are very strong. It’s important for us to welcome and build relationsh­ips with these newcomers who choose to settle here. Because cultural diversity makes our rural communitie­s even stronger and more open to the world.

Municipali­ties play a leading role in Francophon­e and bilingual economic immigratio­n to the AMBM territory. They welcome immigrants full of hopes, dreams and aspiration­s. By helping them to flourish, they create prosperity for their entire population. But to play their role effectivel­y, these municipali­ties have to be ready to welcome.

As the order of government closest to the people, our members play a central role in ensuring harmonious coexistenc­e at the local level. They also create the winning conditions to ensure quality of life and make themselves attractive to prospectiv­e newcomers. This includes key infrastruc­ture to ensure access to affordable housing, sustainabl­e transporta­tion solutions and adequate, versatile sports and leisure facilities.

As you will see from reading this magazine, our members are privileged to be able to count on the striking force of the AMBM Group in economic immigratio­n. Together, the AMBM, the CDEM and EWC offer concrete, practical solutions to help rural bilingual municipali­ties succeed with immigratio­n.

Working with a wide variety of community and government partners, the AMBM Group and its member municipali­ties are proud to play an active role in the continuum of Francophon­e and bilingual immigratio­n services in Manitoba. Because together, we can go far.