Centre de la francophonie

The Centre de la francophonie is a hub for local and visiting Francophones and Francophiles, offering a host of services in French. You can access the Internet, buy maple products, find out about upcoming activities, and get help looking for a job or settling in as a newcomer. The Centre is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The building opened in 2001; a number of Francophone organizations have their offices there, including: 

• The Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY), which acts as the voice of Yukon’s Francophone community; it is also the primary disseminator of arts and culture in French in the territory and provides a broad range of services in French.

• Partenariat communauté en santé (PCS), the local network for health in French.

• L’Aurore boréale, Yukon’s Francophone newspaper, which has been offering general information with a strong community focus since 1983. You can view it online at auroreboreale.ca.

Photo credit: AFY, Patric Chaussé

In 1979 Francophones came together to form the Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY), which was officially incorporated in 1982. Its mission is to create, develop and maintain the services, activities and institutions needed to achieve quality of life in French in the Yukon.

In addition to acting as its official voice, it is a leader in developing the Yukon Francophone community in a variety of areas: arts and culture, youth, community life, economic development, employability, tourism, immigration, education, justice, seniors, and health.

The Yukon Francophone community is recognized for its dynamism and vitality. It is an integral part of the broader community of the Yukon and is steadily growing.

According to the 2021 Statistics Canada census, 40,232 people call the Yukon their home.

5,660 Yukoners speak French, accounting for 14.2% of the territory’s population.

And 1,985 Francophones or 5.2% of the Yukon’s population have French as their mother tongue. 

The Yukon is Canada’s third most bilingual region, after Québec and New Brunswick.

The AFY offers a rich and diverse program of arts, cultural and community activities throughout the year. These activities are open to everyone, so if you are passing through Whitehorse, please feel free to contact us to find out about upcoming events.

One Friday a month from September to June, our Cafés-rencontres provide an opportunity to enjoy a meal in French, and in good company. Major events include the sugar shack organized during the Yukon Rendezvous festival in February, Solstice Saint-Jean featuring musical performances on June 24, and the annual corn shucking in early September.

Photo credit: AFY, Patric Chaussé

The flag is blue, white and gold.
The blue represents La Francophonie and the bright Yukon sky.
The white symbolizes winter north of 60.
The gold line recalls the Gold Rush and symbolizes the history of Yukon Francophones and their cultural, economic and social contributions to the territory for almost 200 years.
The shapes recreate the sky, Yukon mountains and the vibrancy of the Franco-Yukoner community.

Source: “La francophonie”, Study workbook created by AFY

Written in 1991 the song “Le Yukon m’appelle” is considered the Franco-Yukon anthem.

Lyrics: Caroline Boucher
Score: Annie Avery
Voice: Les Ceusses-qui-ont-du-fun-quand-y-chantent (Danielle Bonneau, Jean-Marc Bélanger, Hélène Beaulieu, Claude Gosselin)
Illustration: Maxime Deschesnes