Has Laurentian University denied its own objectives by interpreting the French Services Act too narrowly? At least that’s what alumni believe, who were present when the establishment obtained the designation in 2014.
On Thursday, French Language Services Commissioner Kelly Burke said the university had breached its obligations under the law by eliminating all French-language dual-degree programs. The possibility of obtaining these two diplomas had to be retained by the establishment since a regulation had protected them since 2014.
Kelly Burke concluded that there was a breach of law even accepting the university’s narrow interpretation of the regulations. According to this interpretation, the institution would comply with the regulations even if it abolished all but one of the designated degree programs. However, the commissioner condemned the establishment for this “devastating” reflection which goes against the spirit of the law, namely to “aim to preserve services in French”. The wording “seems to indicate that the programs leading to the designated degrees are protected,” the report read.
“I do not agree with the interpretation that it is enough to keep a single program to say that the partial designation has been respected,” argues Patrice Sawyer, who was vice-rector for Francophone affairs in 2014. the former member of the management, who applied for designation with the Office of Francophone Affairs at the time, the designation “was intended to protect the French fact at Laurentian”.
Management’s intention when it achieved the designation was to preserve programs leading to the designated degrees, with some oversight over those with very low enrollment, he says. If a narrow interpretation is made, “the designation does not mean much”, judge Patrice Sawyer. The former professor and administrator was also interviewed by investigators from the French Language Services Unit of the Ombudsman’s office to describe the university’s intentions in 2014.
“We were looking to protect what we had learned, in terms of programs in French,” said Alex Tétreault, who was president of the university’s Francophone student association when he obtained the designation. The native of Sudbury, where the university is located, was optimistic when the settlement was created. “But we were well aware that there was a risk that the university would interpret this policy in the way that best met its needs and desires,” he continues.
The Importance of Leadership
The conclusions of the report demonstrate the importance of having the right people at the head of the management, thinks Me. François Larocque, specialist in language law. “When you have standards to follow, those who are responsible for applying them on a day-to-day basis have considerable power”, analyzes the professor. Without passing judgment specifically on the management in place today, Patrice Sawyer notes that most of the people involved in obtaining the designation in 2014 are no longer part of the management.
Alex Tétreault criticizes the staff turnover within the establishment’s Francophone affairs department. Several people have held the position of Patrice Sawyer since the end of his term in 2014. In June 2014, the university appointed Denis Hurtubise to the position, to which the qualifier “associate” had then been added, for a five-year term. . Between 2016 and 2018, two other people held the position of Acting Associate Vice-Rector for Studies and Francophone Affairs.
In August 2018, the establishment appointed Yves Pelletier for a period of five years, but the administrator finally left for the University of Ottawa in mid-March 2021. the job description,” he explained to La Rotonde. In November 2021, Laurentian welcomed Roch Gallien as Special Advisor for Francophone Affairs. In February 2022, he joined the Conseil des écoles fransaskoises.
“There is no strong leadership within the administration that can ensure the university is accountable,” thinks Alex Tétreault, who still lives in Sudbury.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.