December 18th, 2020

NDP demands Ford stop using Francophone rights as political tool

KAPUSKASING – Guy Bourgouin, the NDP’s critic for Francophone Affairs, released the following statement urging the Ford government to modernize the French Language Services Act and improve French language services in health, long-term care, justice and education:

“As 2020 comes to end, the Ford Conservatives continue to hinder the modernization of the French Language Services Act of 1989, and Franco-Ontarians are still unable to obtain equivalent services in health, education and justice in their language.

In education, the Franco-Ontarian community faces a historic shortage of qualified teachers and education workers. In Northern Ontario, we see increased situations where Francophones simply do not receive the justice services they need and deserve in the court system. Because Ford forced changes to our health system in early 2019, there is still no legislative framework that guarantees French language health services in designated regions.

Many Franco-Ontarian community organizations face closure due to a lack of provincial funding, yet the Minister for Francophone Affairs has failed to increase the funds earmarked for the Francophone Community Grants Program (Programme d’appui à la francophonie ontarienne – PAFO), which have remained the same since the program's creation in 2017.

Most critically, and in spite of her promise in 2018, the Minister for Francophone Affairs has yet to take concrete steps to update the French Language Services Act. The Conservatives have stalled my Bill 137, The Franco-Ontarian Community Act, which I tabled on November 5, 2019, with the support of the Francophone community to ensure the vitality and growth of the Franco-Ontarian community. We need concrete action and a modern legislation, not vague promises and symbolic gestures.

As the Liberals dragged their feet for 15 long years, the Conservatives are using the only legislative safeguard for our linguistic rights as a political tool. The current Act came into effect nearly 32 years ago and is no longer suited to guarantee active and equivalent French language services in Ontario. Franco-Ontarians said it loud and clear: they want a modern French Language Services Act now, including the return of the independent office of the French Language Services Commissioner. Caroline Mulroney must take action now. Franco-Ontarians deserve better."