The Willow Bunch incident revealed the disagreement between the ACF and the CCF over the issue of the
Fête fransaskoise. A final attempt at dialogue was made in 2002; this lead to a new memorandum of understanding between the two organizations, with the aim of establishing a permanent committee for the festival. If there was one point the two organizations agreed on, it was that this understanding was an empty shell. On this subject, listen to Denis Desgagnés, director of the ACF, (
audio), and the former president of the CCF, Pierre L'Héritier (
audio). The future proved them right: while the
Fête fransaskoise saw the light of day in 2003, it dissolved the following year.
CommentsAccording to Annette Labelle, director of the CCF from 1999 to 2001, the failure of the consortium reflected a reluctance among the Fransaskois organizations to debate the issue because of their own vulnerability.
Gilles Groleau, president of the ACF from 1999 to 2001, blamed the failure of the consortium on political fatigue.
According to Michel Vézina, who was director of the CCF from 2002 to 2006, the lack of resources resulted in crises which make the dialogue process more difficult
Laurier Gareau, an employee of the CCF, recalled the almost insurmountable challenge of getting several organizations to work together on a project
Wilfrid Denis, an elected representative at the ACF from 2000 to 2006, was in charge of the cultural file when the permanent committee was set up at the time of the 2002 festival. He emphasized the source of tension between the different organizations was the question of financial responsibility
Michel Vézina explains why the organizations decided to sign the protocole agreement
Archives«Protocole d'entente pour la Fête fransaskoise», May 2002«L'organisme Fête fransaskoise voit le jour», 13 February 2003 
