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HomeNewsProvincial Government Announces New French Commissioner Role

Provincial Government Announces New French Commissioner Role

A new motion from the leader of the NDP has pushed the provincial government to reverse one recent cut.

Mushkegowuk-James Bay NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin is supporting a motion from NDP Leader Andrea Horwath that has reversed a recent cut to Francophone services in Ontario.

Bourgouin says he is pleased to hear the axing of the French Language Services Commissioner is now being reversed.

However, he says losing the long awaited Francophone University and compounding it with a recent cancellation of a $2.9 million grant for Ottawa based Francophone theatre La Nouvelle Scene Gilles Desjardins, still does not make things right.

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He says the Ford government’s decision to cancel the grant is irresponsible.

“The Ford Conservatives made the irresponsible decision to cancel a $ 2.9-million grant for La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, a francophone arts centre in Ottawa. Is it not enough for the Conservatives to eliminate the office that defends our constitutional rights and to cancel what should be our university?”

Bourgouin says they are now fighting to protect the rights of Ontario’s Francophone communities to access education and services in French, when and where they need it.

Horwath’s motion will continue to be debated this week, the motion is to restore funding, office and powers of the French Language Services Commissioner and funding for the Francophone University.

Bourgouin says their rights and culture are being treated as a financial burden.

“It seems that our constitutional rights, our education and, now, our culture, are for the Ford government but a mere financial affair. It is more than clear that the Conservatives have no interest in assuming that they have left Franco-Ontarian’s like me behind, as if we and our rights, education and heritage, were unimportant.”

Premier Doug Ford has now recently announced a new French-Language Services Commissioner position to be had out of the Ombudsman’s office following days of backlash.

He has also promised to turn the office of Francophone affairs into a ministry now.

Ford also says he looks to continue building a constructive communication with Franco-Ontarians.

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