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It was billed as a chance for local francophone artists to shine on an international stage, but that gig of a lifetime disappeared as the Higgs government announced plans to scrap hosting the 2021 Francophonie Games in Moncton and Dieppe, N.B.
“The games may be somewhere else but it’s the same effect, we’ll be there, we’ll go there,” said Philippe Beaulieu, the president of the Acadian Association of Professional Artists.
Stakeholders are questioning why the federal government didn’t bail out the games, with a price tag that ballooned from $17 million to $130 million and then dropping to $62 million.
“The federal government has to take a different stand on this to allow all Canadians to have a fair chance at taking their place on the international scene,” said. Beaulieu.
He went on to suggest Ottawa should look at a different funding deal where they pick up three-quarters of the bill. But the feds say they will only match the province’s figure.
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Games organizers based out of Paris say they’re disappointed, but that the organization “is confident that the holding of this event promoting the vitality and creativity of all francophone youth will indeed take place in 2021.”
“The consequences of this decision and the different options available will be examined by the States and Governments that are members of the Steering Committee of the Games of the Francophonie (CIJF) Conference to be held in Paris on February 14 and 15 2019,” wrote Oria K. Vande Weghe, spokesperson for the secretary-general.
WATCH: New Brunswick cancels plans to host 2021 Francophonie Games
The decision could have a lasting impact on Higgs, who has cut budgets in an effort to get its financial house in order while battling a linguistic divide since taking office.
“For those who think the Higgs government is anti-french, this is another arrow in their quiver and it’s hard to know what evidence that group would need to alter its own opinion but nonetheless, this is one irritant that the government is just going to have to manage,” said Tom Bateman, a professor of political science at St Thomas University.
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