{"id":310,"date":"2018-06-25T20:27:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T20:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/arts\/?p=310"},"modified":"2021-03-08T01:05:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T01:05:17","slug":"minister-of-multiculturalism-official-languages-and-la-francophonie-for-a-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/arts\/2018\/06\/25\/minister-of-multiculturalism-official-languages-and-la-francophonie-for-a-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister of Multiculturalism, Official Languages and La Francophonie for a Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raymond Kobes, BA, French Major & Business Minor, 2018\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cI went to Victoria for University Model Parliament\u201d says Raymond Kobes. It was there in January 2018, that the UFV French alumnus and member of Universities Model Parliament was selected to be the Minister of Multiculturalism, Official Languages and La Francophonie for a weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically when you go to Model Parliament, it\u2019s as if Ottawa was postponed and you were actually in Ottawa as the official representatives and members of parliament\u201d says Kobes. Over the course of the weekend, Kobes was responsible for three portfolios: Multiculturalism, Official Languages and the French culture.<\/p>\n

In this role, Kobes was expected to field questions by the opposition regarding certain bills that related to his area. \u201cIt was really neat because there were so many different opinions and different world views\u2026 but when it came down to it, we were all there for a common goal of learning how to get involved in the political world and how we can best make a better Canada\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"\"To be an effective member of parliament, Kobes recommends becoming a good orator because a large part of the job will include giving speeches and asking or responding to questions from either side of the House of Commons. He also recommends becoming bilingual. \u201cThe best part about [being a Minister] was that I got to use my French in the House… and got to share with other people why those things are important\u201d says Kobes.<\/p>\n

Growing up in Abbotsford, Kobes was drawn to politics at an early age and dreamed of one day becoming a member of parliament. \u201cI look forward to my future in politics, hopefully, as a member of parliament in the future and a lot of that has to do with my education here at the University of the Fraser Valley\u201d says Kobes.<\/p>\n

Kobes graduated this June 2018 from UFV. He is set to teach French for one year\u00a0at Credo Christian High School in Langley\u00a0starting September 2018, and then plans to become\u00a0heavily involved in the Canadian federal election in 2019.<\/p>\n

To watch Raymond\u2019s short video interview, click on the link:\u00a0https:\/\/bit.ly\/2NloL72<\/a><\/p>\n

To watch Raymond\u2019s full video interview, click on the link:\u00a0https:\/\/bit.ly\/2mr2vx2<\/a><\/p>\n