Ontario Premier Doug Ford is not worried about Bill 96, which concerns thousands of English speakers in Quebec.
When questioned by The duty on Bill 96, which would reform the Charter of the French language, Doug Ford affirmed that he had a “phenomenal” relationship with François Legault and that he would support the chief caquiste. The Conservative leader shared his opinion on the bill in a factory with Quebec blood. He was on Tuesday in a factory of the company Alstom, which bought the transport division of Bombardier in 2020.
Doug Ford’s message contrasts with that of François Legault in 2018, when the Ontario government cut services to Franco-Ontarians. At the start of his mandate, Doug Ford canceled the project for a French-language university in Toronto and eliminated the position of independent French-language services commissioner, the watchdog of Franco-Ontarians. François Legault said he was “disappointed” with the decision of the Premier of Ontario.
The Quebec Premier then asked his Ontario colleague to reconsider his decision. “I told him that it is important that the two founding peoples of Canada are well served,” said François Legault after a meeting with Doug Ford a few days after the announcement of the cuts.
The conservative leader finally partially reconsidered his decision. In 2021, the University of Ontario officially opened its doors thanks to a funding agreement with the federal government. The French Language Services Commissioner has not regained his independence, however. The NDP, the Liberal Party and the Green Party have promised that they will restore the commissioner’s autonomy if they are elected in the next election.
popular anyway
Even if he cut their services in 2018, Doug Ford and the Conservatives are popular among Franco-Ontarians according to two polls published Friday morning. A Radio-Canada poll published Tuesday morning, however, shows that 61% of Franco-Ontarians believe that French is in decline in the province. During a press briefing on Tuesday, Doug Ford replied that his government was not responsible for this impression.
“We are the only government that has built two francophone universities, the only government that has developed an economic strategy,” says Doug Ford.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.