'The more we are united, the more we are strong': Calgary's francophone community celebrates diversity amid growing immigration debate

While Alberta’s political conversations are becoming increasingly focused on who belongs, Calgary’s francophone community is busy creating opportunities for people to come together.

That was the atmosphere at the 2026 Franco Festival Calgary, which took place Sept. 11-12 at Cowboys Park, where Calgarians had a chance to learn about the many cultures that make up the city’s francophone and immigrant communities.

Organized by Portail de l’Immigrant Association (PIA) in partnership with the City of Calgary, the festival is part of Calgary Culture Days, a city-wide celebration of arts and culture running throughout September. The two-day event featured a variety of entertainment while also offering attendees the chance to learn about the diverse communities throughout Calgary.

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Booths represented a wide-variety of backgrounds. Francophone service providers such as PIA and Association Canadienne-Française de l’Alberta (ACFA) were available to help francophone Calgarians find support services and community resources, while various French-speaking countries had their own booths to educate festival-goers on their culture.

From the Ivory Coast and Guinea to Morocco and Senegal — to even the Philippines — a majority of booths also represented immigrant communities.

For Valérie Jamga, a counsellor and social worker with PIA, the festival is an opportunity for francophone newcomers to become part of the wider community while maintaining a connection to their language and culture.

She said it’s also an opportunity for anglophones to learn not only about the language, but to feel welcome themselves.

“We are in the minority community and we want to integrate everybody,” she said.

Jamga also spoke about wanting to raise awareness and educate Calgarians on the benefits of having a diverse population, and how they should be embraced instead of shunned.

“Canada is a base immigration, and we have to take care of that,” she said. “That means if you decide to open your door to people, that means you are decid(ing) to accommodate them, to accept them.”

She said that welcome should extend beyond simply having immigrants represented in Calgary’s institutions and workplaces. Communities should be recognized for the contributions they already make to the city.

“We are bringing a lot of things (to) the table and we want people to know,” she said. “Francophone we want to have a spot at the table, not one spot, not a representation spot. We want to have a lot of spots.”