(Ottawa) After the federal government and that of Quebec, the government of Ontario is in turn dusting off its language law, the French Language Services Act, adopted in 1986.
The Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs of Ontario, Caroline Mulroney, proposes, in a reform of this law much awaited by Franco-Ontarians, to expand access to services in French in a greater number of points of service. province-wide and make mandatory a review of the law every 10 years.
In addition, the Ford government will require government agencies and ministries in designated regions to ensure that services in French are immediately accessible by applying the principle of “active offer”. In other words, the employees of these organizations and departments will be required to tell users, from the first call, that they can be served in French or in English. At present, Francophones most often have to apply for it themselves.
These obligations will also apply to third parties who provide services on behalf of the government in the 26 regions designated by law.
Bilingual staff
In its reform, the Ford government is committed to redouble its efforts to recruit bilingual staff in order to expand the francophone space in the province, said Minister Caroline Mulroney in an interview with Press. The workforce is, according to her, the main obstacle to the delivery of services in French.
It is therefore crucial to increase the pool of qualified Francophone and bilingual workers by emphasizing training and recruitment, particularly in the areas of health, education and early childhood.
As such, Ontario intends to work with the federal government to create “Francophone immigration corridors” and to facilitate the recognition of professional certifications, which remains an obstacle for immigrants who have received training in their country of origin. , but cannot work in their area of expertise.
Modernization of the French Language Services Act, promised by the Conservative Party during the 2018 election campaign, is part of the economic statement presented Thursday in Queen’s Park by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. It is presented at a time when a linguistic storm is raging in Quebec following statements by Air Canada President Michael Rousseau, who has disregarded the importance of learning French after 14 years in Quebec as a result. of his speech to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal on Wednesday.
“For Francophones in Ontario, this bill constitutes the foundation of access to French-language services that they have across the province. And this is the first time in 35 years that the law has been modernized. This is a very important element. It is done with the aim of improving the quality and access to services in French, ”said Minister Mulroney.
Mme Mulroney indicated that this important reform, concocted after the holding of consultations with Francophones, will be adopted before the next provincial election scheduled for June.
” Absoutely. I promised at the start of my mandate to modernize the French Language Services Act. We started work and then there was the pandemic. But we did consultations even during a pandemic. […] In addition to modernizing the act, I am proposing a whole strategy to recruit bilingual staff. The quality of services depends a lot on the availability of labor. ”
A ministry dedicated to Francophone affairs
Among the other measures, the government intends to formalize the transformation of the Office of Francophone Affairs into a proper Department of Francophone Affairs. And its holder will have the mandate, under the law, to promote Francophone affairs and French-language services in the province.
All cabinet ministers will also have to report to him once a year on the progress of the implementation of the new law throughout the government apparatus.
The idea of making mandatory a review of the law every 10 years will ensure that it adequately responds to the changing needs of the Franco-Ontarian community, argued Mr.me Mulroney, who is also Ontario Minister of Transportation.
The Assembly of the Francophonie in Ontario (AFO) and the Association of French-Speaking Jurists of Ontario (AJEFO) welcomed the reform of the French Language Services Act.
“Whether it be through the creation of the Federation of Francophone Business People of Ontario, the funding of the first university managed by and for Francophones, or the proposal to overhaul the French Language Services Act, we note that Minister Mulroney is making major structural changes contributing to solidifying the place of French and expanding the Francophone space in Ontario, ”said AFO President Carol Jolin in a press release.
“The Ontario government’s proposal gives the Minister significant power to designate services in French, at all levels, in non-designated regions. We look forward to seeing its concrete impact on our community, ”said Mr.e Marc Sauvé, president of AJEFO.