Commissioner fears end to advocacy for services
Ontario’s ombudsman will do a good job of answering complaints about French-language services in Ontario, but his office doesn’t have the mandate to be an advocate for the francophone community, the outgoing French-language services commissioner says. François Boileau learned half an hour before a public announcement was made Thursday that his role was being cut by the provincial government, along with the province’s environmental commissioner and child advocate, as part of deficit-cutting measures. Their responsibilities are to be rolled into the offices of the auditor general and provincial ombudsman. In an interview Friday, Boileau said he would leave his position on May 1 and his staff of 13 would be moved to the ombudsman’s office, although it was unclear whether their focus would continue to be on French services. “Paul Dubé is an outstanding ombudsman and I’m sure he will do a good job in terms of complaints, but that advocacy role will be lost unless Paul goes in that direction,” said Boileau, who has been the commissioner since the post was created in 2007. “French will be only one of many issues. Paul Dubé has so many issues on his plate. The job is to look at complaints. We do that, but much more.” Under the French Language Services Act, the commissioner ensures the rights of francophone citizens are respected and the government and government agencies observe their obligations under the act. Last year, Boileau’s office fielded 315 complaints, of which 186 were considered admissible, including 40 about the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. In his last annual report, released in July, Boileau recommended that the provincial government do more to attract and retain francophone immigrants. Boileau said his main areas of focus had been immigration and a strong continuum of education in French, including post-secondary education. The French-speaking population in Ontario is growing, with projections that it will increase to between 622,600 and 659,000 by 2028. However, French-speaking people will represent a shrinking proportion of total population, falling to between 3.9 per cent and 4.0 per cent of Ontario’s population compared to 4.7 per cent in 2016 and 4.8 per cent in 2011. Much of the growth comes from immigration, and most of these people live the southwestern part of the province, including Toronto, Hamilton and London. While immigrants made up less than 15 per cent of the francophone population in 2016, that should increase to between 22 and 26 per cent by 2028. African countries account for more than 36 per cent of francophone immigrants. In 2050, there will be more than 800 million French-speaking people in the world, and 85 per cent of those will be in Africa, Boileau said. He said he was troubled by news the province was cancelling plans to open Ontario’s first francophone university in Toronto. The new university was promised during the election campaign and the Progressive Conservative government reiterated its commitment in a statement in July. Why a French-only university? Boileau said people living in Ontario all pick up English. A French university would have created “unique competencies” of young workers who would benefit Ontario by acting as a “bridge” between the provincial economy and other French-speaking countries. “We want new immigrants to learn English as well. We don’t want to create a ghetto here,” Boileau said. Boileau still plans to hold a symposium on the future of the francophonie in Ontario on Nov. 26 in Toronto. The event featuring panels on issues such as demographics and aging with dignity in French has already attracted 230 participants. “No one told me I had 15 minutes to pack my bags,” Boileau said. “As far as I am concerned, my staff is moving forward.”