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The Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris (1970-1995)
by Geneviève Postolec, Government Archives and Records Disposition Division
On November 7, 1965,
Canada and France signed a first cultural agreement to develop
exchanges between the two countries in culture, science, technology and the arts, and
to promote the establishment of close ties between Canadian and French institutions
such as cultural institutes or centres. Following the 1967 purchase and renovation of a
building at 5 Rue de Constantine in Paris dating back to the Second Empire (1852-
1870),1 the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris was officially inaugurated on April 2,
1970. Its mandate was to promote, in France, the different facets of Canadian culture.
When the Centre was renovated in 1995-1996, the organization’s archives2 were
turned over to the National Archives of Canada, and incorporated3 into the collection of
the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).4 These documents,
dating from 1970 to 1995, therefore illustrate the first 25 years of the Centre and attest
to Canada’s cultural presence in France.
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Although the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, as an institution, does not belong to
the international French-speaking community,5 the fact remains that, given its mandate
and its geographic location, it has played an active role in the promotion of Canadian
francophone culture. Moreover, some of the collection was generated by DFAIT’s
program of cultural exchanges with French-speaking countries. Yet one question
remains: Why a Canadian cultural centre in Paris? To answer this question briefly, it is
necessary to assess, first, the place of culture in the policies of the Department of
External Affairs; second, the place of the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris in relations
between Ottawa, Quebec City and Paris; and finally, the Centre’s place in relation to
other provincial and federal agencies operating in the same field in Paris.
The primary mission of the Department of External Affairs is to implement the foreign
policy of the federal government. This mission has several aspects: to guide Canadian
relations with other countries; to promote and protect Canadian interests abroad; to
gather information and documents about matters influencing Canada’s international
relations; and to negotiate agreements and treaties with other countries. In the early
1960s, External Affairs intensified its cultural relations with wholly or partially French-
speaking European countries, such as Belgium, Switzerland and France, to stimulate
bilingualism. In 1966, the Cultural Affairs Division was set up “to formulate and execute
Canada’s cultural policies for foreign countries in accordance with directives of the
Government and in co-operation with Canadian cultural institutions and agencies.” 6
The establishment of the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris was consistent with the
concern to disseminate Canadian culture outside the country, as it was the first
Canadian centre established abroad.7 Other Centres would subsequently be opened in
Rome, Brussels, London and New York. The Centre was to serve as the hub of
Canadian culture in France. There were six components to its mandate: to serve as a
reception and orientation centre for Canadian students and artists studying in Paris; to
provide a reference library for Canadian researchers and students; to contribute to the
dissemination of Canadian culture in France through exhibitions, concerts, recitals, film
screenings, lectures and symposiums; to be a gathering place for Canadians living in
France and their French friends; to serve as a venue for Franco-Canadian cultural
associations; to bring under one roof the cultural and information services of the
Canadian embassy in Paris.
In 1980, the Department’s annual report stressed that “[p]ublic attitudes towards
Canada constitute an important factor in relations with other countries. Informing the
public abroad — particularly persons who are influential in forming opinions about
Canada — and stimulating cultural and academic exchanges are, therefore, major
tasks of the Department of External Affairs.”8 In September 1983, the Cultural Policy
Division was created to enable the Department to systematically develop cultural
policies.9 While the cultural relations program was modest in scope in its early days,
the Department came to regard it as an increasingly important component of Canada’s
foreign policy.10
Footnotes:
1.
Raymonde Litalien (Dir.), Centre culturel canadien/Canadian Cultural Centre. 25
ans d’activités 1970-1995. Embassy of Canada, Paris, 1997, 375 p.
2.
Under the direction of Raymonde Litalien, the archives of the Canadian Cultural
Centre were selected and classified by Jocelyne Martineau and Janine Reid.
3.
See notice of acquisition 1997-1998/394
4.
In 1995, the Department of External Affairs acquired a new name. It is now the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
5.
For a list of Francophone institutions, consult the work by Jean-Marc Léger, La
francophonie : grand dessein, grosse ambiguïté, Montreal, Hurtubise HMH,
1987, pp. 194-195.
6.
1970 Annual Report, Department of External Affairs, p. 72
7.
The Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris kept its name until 1987, when it became
the Cultural Services of the Paris Embassy.
8.
Department of External Affairs 1980 Annual Review, p. 63
9.
Annual Report 1983-1984, Department of External Affairs, p. 40
10.
Ibid
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