Legault asks Ford to rethink decision

TORONTO • Quebec’s premier pressed his Ontario counterpart to reconsider controversial changes to French language services on Monday but couldn’t sway Doug Ford, who maintained francophones in his province would continue to be well served.

François Legault said he expressed his disappointment with the Ontario government’s decision to cancel a planned French-language university and consolidate the province’s French language services commissioner with the ombudsman’s office.

Legault, whose Coalition Avenir Québec swept to power last month, said he wasn’t satisfied with Ford’s explanation for the moves and would continue to push for more French-language services, but did not say what further steps he could take.

“I don’t think it sends a good message to francophones but it’s not my decision,” he said after his discussion with Ford, the first official meeting between the two premiers.

Legault said he reminded Ford in their meeting that Quebec has three Englishlanguage universities and that both provinces must make efforts to deliver services to language minorities.

Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives announced the changes last Thursday in their first fiscal update since taking office in June.

The Ford government, which has vowed to find billions in efficiencies each year, has said the university was not a financially viable project, though it could not say how much would be saved by scrapping it. Nor could it say what savings would come from combining the watchdog offices.

Ford defended the measures again on Monday, saying the university was not feasible in light of the province’s deficit, which his government has said is now at $14.5 billion. Critics have disputed that figure, however, saying it includes spending promises made by the previous Liberal regime that the current government has scrapped.

“The difference between myself and Premier Legault — and I told him this — ‘You inherited a billion-dollar surplus, I inherited a $15-billion structural deficit.’ He understood that but again he has to represent the people of Quebec,” Ford said.

The premier noted Ontario already has 10 universities and colleges offering courses in French.

The government’s assurances did little to quell critics, however, with politicians in several provinces and multiple levels of government denouncing the changes.

Ontario’s Opposition New Democrats said the changes put the constitutional rights of the province’s approximately 600,000 francophones at risk.

“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,” NDP legislator Guy Bourgouin said.