Ontario NDP leader in Sudbury to urge Conservatives to fund standalone French university

SUDBURY—Official Opposition NDP Leader Marit Stiles joined local NDP MPPs and the association of Francophone students in Sudbury on Thursday to demand that the Ford government fund the standalone French university the community has spent decades calling for.

“The Conservatives continue to ignore the realities of Franco-Ontarians and the North by denying the University of Sudbury funding for a standalone Franco-Ontarian university that’s by, for and with the French-speaking community,” Stiles said.

“To add salt to the wound, the government buried a report that shows the University of Sudbury meets—and in some cases, exceeds—the criteria to create a standalone French university.”

Recent reports from TFO and Le Droit reveal that the Conservatives denied the University of Sudbury funding for a standalone French university despite the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB)’s recommendation that the project go forward, and after the province approved an initial proposal for the project.

QUOTES

“We’re here for our Francophone community – period. They want their voices heard, they want this university to be successful and they want to be able to study in their chosen fields in Sudbury. It is their right to do so, and I will always stand with them.”
— MPP Jamie West (Sudbury)

“Once again, the Ford government has betrayed us. The ministry blatantly ignored the [PEQAB] report and led us to believe that the University of Sudbury was not viable and did not meet the needs or the demands of the Franco-Ontarians population. We are constantly taking steps back with the Francophone community.”
— MPP Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk–James Bay)

“The Francophone community is united. We want the University of Sudbury to be a university for, by and with francophones in the North. We have waited far too long. It is time for this government to take responsibility and show us some respect. Enough is enough.”
— MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt)