Franco-Ontarians are continuing their push back against what they feel is unconstitutional.
According to Mushkegowuk-James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin, the recent cancellation of a Francophone University of Ontario and elimination of the Office of the French Language Service Commissioner puts the rights of Franco-Ontarians in peril as he stated this week at Queen’s Park.
Bourgouin says the two decisions speak loud and clear to him that to the Ford government Francophones don’t count.
“By eliminating the French Language Services Commissioner’s office and the Francophone University of Ontario, the Ford Conservatives are telling us clearly that we do not count, that our constitutional rights to be served and educated in French are unimportant.”
He says there’s also no way for them to explain their decision.
“What reasonable explanation can the Ford government provide to Franco-Ontarians about its decision to disregard our rights to be educated and served in French?”
Bourgouin also believes this attack as he calls it on Franco-Ontarians is nothing new, as he says Doug Ford first showed that contempt he has for the Francophones when he delivered a throne speech without a single word of French earlier this year.
“Francophones are a founding people of the country in which bilingualism is the fundamental basis of what is conceived of as contemporary Canada.”
Bourgouin says Francophones across the province are deserving of an explanation.
“What can the Ford government tell people in my riding, where more than six out of 10 speak French, about eliminating the only office defending their rights and canceling the university project for which that have fought for over four decades?”
Quebec Premier François Legault held a meeting with Premier Doug Ford earlier this week and claimed that he asked Ford to reconsider the decision.
The Ford government meanwhile says the cuts are a necessary to get rid of what is says is a $15 billion deficit.
Bourgouin is continuing his push back at Queen’s Park.