2023-07-03 03:59:45
The announcement of the non-funding of the University of Sudbury by Ontario goes badly on the side of Fabien Hébert, president of the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO), especially because of the timing of the announcement , which fell on Friday followingnoon.
It is really in bad faith on the part of the government to make this announcement, then to avoid asking questions, that we have the chance to have discussions, he says.
According to Mr. Hébert, this decision is all the more surprising in that it seems contrary to the discussions that had previously taken place between the government and the AFO.
“All the indicators we had in terms of our political discussions gave us the message that the project was moving forward. We never had any doubts regarding it. »
— A quote from Fabien Hébert, President of the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario
The president of the AFO sees similarities with the case of the University of French Ontario, whose funding has also been – temporarily – abandoned by the Ford government.
Fabien Hébert, President of the Assembly of the Francophonie of Ontario
Photo : Radio-Canada / Chris St-Pierre
We see the Ontario government pulling the rug out from under the francophone community in the Middle North. It’s really a very, very similar situation, he explains.
Canada’s Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, also expressed her disappointment on Twitter on Friday. According to her, it is essential for the vitality of our Francophone minority communities to be able to establish strong institutions.
Former Laurentian students react
Two years following experiencing the unfortunate events of the cancellation of his program at Laurentian University and a little less than five years following seeing the mobilization surrounding the abandonment of the Université de l’Ontario français project by the Ford government, Marie-Pierre Héroux, now a master’s student in history at the University of Ottawa, reacted strongly to this news.
I’m disappointed, I’m frustrated, the community has been asking for this for a long time. What I heard between the branches was positive responses from the province, so it was a matter of time before we got the funding, she said.
Ms. Héroux in turn draws a parallel between this announcement and that of the University of French Ontario, and hopes for mobilization on the part of those who are disappointed with the government’s decision.
“I call on the community to mobilize because we saw it in 2018: one of the reasons that led the government to reconsider its decision was to see the reception that the news had had in the community and the mobilization there had been. »
— A quote from Marie-Pierre Héroux, master’s student in history at the University of Ottawa
Philippe Mathieu, who signed a letter with Marie-Pierre Héroux in favor of the University of Sudbury this spring, is also disappointed with the decision.
It is very disappointing, but also, it is clear in a certain sense that the provincial government does not prioritize the file of the francophones, he indicates.
Now a substitute teacher, Mr. Mathieu finds that by interacting with the students, he sees even more the need to have post-secondary institutions in French.
When a certain French offer is missing here, it can make decisions more difficult for students. Personally, I find that it is a little more difficult to determine what to do if they want to study in French, he explains.
Philippe Mathieu is a substitute teacher.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Aya Dufour
He asks the government to take into account the demands of the community.
I hope the government will continue to listen to what we have to say here. And then continue to take the necessary steps to allow this beautiful university to see the light of day and open its doors, hopefully soon, he says.
He believes that there might be a mobilization in this direction, affirming that there might certainly be opinions, let us say rather strong, on this subject. I think we’re not far from that actually.
Misunderstanding on campus
Olivier Bonin-Ducharme, delegate of the Faculty of Arts at the Association of Francophone Students of Laurentian University, says he is shocked by the government’s decision.
I am very disappointed that we are taking this route, especially since the University of Sudbury project had support almost everywhere in the province and even outside the province, he said.
Olivier Bonin-Ducharme (right) is a student at Laurentian University.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Aya Dufour
He draws a parallel between the government’s arguments and those that were used to cut French-language programs at Laurentian University in 2021.
This is the argument that we have heard a lot recently, especially with Laurentian. We had the same excuses for the cuts, he laments.
He hopes that a dialogue can take place in order to establish the University.
I look forward to an ongoing dialogue between Laurentian University and the University of Sudbury. I hope that we can continue to talk to each other between the institutions, then I hope that the dialogue between the different levels of government will also continue, he adds.
With information from Bienvenu Senga
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