Hitchhiking across Canada en français
Quebecer spoke only French from Quebec to the Northwest Territories
EDMONTON — Poutine may have been invented in La Belle Prov
ince, but that’s not to say you can’t find a delicious serving of the iconic Quebec delicacy in Alberta.
That’s what Jimmy Chabot, a vlogger from Drummondville, Que., discovered during his over 7,000-km journey from Quebec to the edge of the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories.
The 23-year-old decided to spend a month on the road — without any money or a cellphone — hitchhiking across the country.
Moreover, he did the whole trip en français.
“The goal of the adventure was the cross the Canada with no money, no cellphone and only in French,” said Chabot, who goes by the username Jimchab on social media. “It was to show the French culture of Canada.”
Many people in Quebec don’t get an opportunity to experience Francophone culture outside the province, said Chabot, who hopes the vlogs he filmed on his trip will put the spotlight on French-speaking communities across the Prairies and Western Canada.
“I was in northern Alberta a week ago and it was so beautiful to be able to speak my language,” he told StarMetro on Tuesday during a stopover in Edmonton on his way home. “People helped me so much in my quest to make my dream come true to arrive at the Arctic Ocean.”
Chabot travelled from Drummondville all the way to Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., without having to speak English at all — save for a section of the Dempster Highway, which spans the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
In fact, it was in northern Alberta — Grande Prairie to be precise — where he tasted the best poutine he’s had outside of Quebec. At a stopover in the city, he made his way to the Wild Rose Country Restaurant. Hesitant to try the poutine since his hometown’s poutine has a legendary reputation, he finally gave in, only to be pleasantly surprised.
“Eating good poutine outside Quebec? That’s something I never succeeded in finding over the four years I’ve travelled the country,” he wrote in French in a caption for a video about the visit. “After years (sic) of searching, I found it ... in Grande Prairie!” Now on his way back home, Chabot will spend a few days in Edmonton, where he has plans to create a 50-minute documentary on his adventure. Throughout the journey, which took him from the endless canola fields of the prairies to the bison-roaming highways of the territories, he filmed videos and provided updates to his followers on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Chabot says he met lots of people who speak French flu- ently in Alberta, particularly in the northwest quadrant of the province around Peace River County.
According to the provincial government, French is the mother tongue of approximately 88,220 Albertans — just over two per cent of the province’s population. Around 6.5 per cent are bilingual in English and French.
“My goal, it was not about me and myself,” he said. “It was a trip to show the beauty of the people living in Canada.”