You are being invited to gather with fellow Franco-Ontarians in unity against recent cuts to French services.
Kapuskasing and the surrounding area are being asked to gather outside the office of Mushkegowuk-James Bay NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin in the Circle on Saturday, December 1st.
Val Rita-Harty Mayor and Organizer of the meet Johanne Baril says the gathering will be to request a complete retreat of the cuts that were announced by the Ontario PC’s.
Baril says the request is that the provincial government restores the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner and plans for the French University of Ontario.
She says these are direct attacks on Francophones rights, so they have to question such decisions.
“It is a direct attack on our language rights. We are after all one of the two founding people of Canada, it is a respectful way for us to protest and ask the government to consider the ramification of these cuts and to reverse their decision.”
Baril says their response has just begun, and this is merely the beginning of the push back from Franco-Ontarians.
“This is only the beginning. As robust as the Francophone community is in Ontario, I don’t see this going away anytime soon. We are just scratching the surface right now and if government doesn’t listen and doesn’t reconsider its position, I just hope that they will, because there is more to come, that is for sure.”
She says let us gather in large numbers across our communities to communicate a strong and precise message to the provincial and federal government.