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Speeches

Speech by the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur Ontario Minister of Culture and Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs

at the 25th convention of the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario (AJEFO) Niagara Falls, June 3, 2004

Hello,

Thank you for inviting me today to say a few words in this beautiful part of Ontario that is Niagara, near our pretty falls known throughout the world.

Did you know that the oldest known illustration of Niagara Falls was created by a Francophone? It is actually Louis Hennepin, in 1679, who was the first to draw and describe the falls. I was very happy to learn this. Did anyone here know this?

PAUSE.

I am happy to be among my colleagues – lawyers – and I am proud of the work your association has done to improve access to French-language services.

Access to justice is important.

It was in 1978 that the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, the Honourable McGibbon, who was the province's first female Lieutenant-Governor, announced in the Speech from the Throne, measures to improve government services in French to the Francophone minority of the Province.

It was the start of the translation of acts in French and the birth of Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario. We have certainly made a lot of progress since then.

Before the French-language Services Act, only key pieces of legislation had to be translated.

Now all acts are adopted and written in French and in English and are available electronically simultaneously.

I often like to stress the fact that both the French and English versions have the force of law.

Ontario is a leader in Canada in the administration of justice in French. The right to use French in the courts and in our judicial system is nevertheless a given.

We all know how intimidating it can be to appear in court, before a judge, in a strange environment. If, as well, we cannot plead our case in our own language, it is even more terrifying.

As Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, I am proud to say that the Francophone community in Ontario can make itself heard in French.

But without intervention from the Francophone community and, particularly AJEFO, this initiative could not have been carried out as quickly as it was.

It is my duty to thank all members, past and present, of AJEFO for their important contribution and their role in this matter.

AJEFO worked hard to ensure that Franco-Ontarians have rights in the area of justice.

It was often necessary to push, advise, encourage, support and direct the various stakeholders in the justice sector in order for the rights of Francophones to gain recognition.

Therefore, congratulations to AJEFO! Mission accomplished.

I would like to tell you that one of my priorities is to work with you so that the government works for you.

We will continue to work together to improve legal services.

When I met with my colleague Michael Bryant, not long ago, we agreed that in order to increase access to legal services in French, we have to nominate more bilingual judges, justices of the peace and crown attorneys. I will follow up with him on this matter.

We want to improve youth understanding of the justice system.

To recognize the diverse population of Ontario, the Trillium Foundation has donated $250,000 to Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN).

This grant will help develop justice education programs for youth in Aboriginal, Francophone and immigrant communities in recognition of Ontario's diverse population.

The three-year project will engage a range of volunteers from the judiciary, bar and education sectors across Ontario.

This initiative will allow youth in the province to understand Ontario's justice system. We hope this will make life easier for you, as lawyers!

On the subject of domestic violence and sexual assault, my government has announced recently its first steps in a four-year plan to reduce domestic violence in the province.

This project is to launch a public education campaign targeted primarily to youth, to foster healthy and equitable relationships and a change of attitude towards violence against women at an early age.

Furthermore, Action Ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes just received from the Attorney General, an amount totalling $200,000 over a period of three years to finance an education campaign about services offered to Francophone women living in a violent domestic situation.

I will work with key ministries, Health and Long Term Care, Community and Social Services and the Attorney General to increase French-language services by transfer payment agencies.

I would like it if, over the next few years, the number of designated agencies that offer services in French to their community increased.

At the last census by Statistics Canada, the city of Brampton counted enough Francophones to become the 24th designated area. We are presently exploring the idea to designate Brampton and we are working with the ministries in the area to ensure that they have the capability to offer quality French-language services.

My government recognizes that immigration is an important strength for the future of Ontario.

We are determined to help new immigrants establish themselves in their new country and become productive citizens.

We are committed to creating good working relationships with the federal government on this matter. We want to encourage integration of new immigrants by giving them even more of an opportunity to use their skills and experience.

Recently, we announced measures to eliminate obstacles that prevent people who were educated abroad to practice their profession in Ontario.

I am in the process of setting up an advisory committee that will advise the government and myself on an array of topics. Its role will include setting up language skills standards and performance indicators for French-language services in areas stemming from the French-language Services Act.

I want to create a Linguistic Ombudsman position to deal with linguistic rights in Ontario. This person will ensure the linguistic rights are enforced and will settle matters in the case of a disagreement.

We will help municipalities that want to improve access to French-language services.

I am working closely with my colleagues in Cabinet and other key partners to safeguard French-language services when changes are made to the delivery of government services.

It is important that the ministries be even more accountable for the delivery of their services in French. It is one of my priorities and I intend to remind my colleagues of it.

We are also working closely with the federal government and Québec. For example, on April 22, the Premiers of the two provinces announced a new era of cooperation between Québec and Ontario. Initially, this cooperation will target health, transportation, the environment, natural resources, tourism, public security and francophone affairs.

In addition, the Governments of Canada and Ontario signed on May 13th, a first memorandum of agreement. Thanks to this agreement, the two governments are committed to exploring joint initiatives that will allow citizens to obtain better services.

This agreement attests important progress regarding the delivery of essential public services on which the citizens depend.

It will not surprise you to hear me say a few words on the importance of health for all Ontarians.

One of my government's priorities is to improve health care.

We know that our population's health is our most precious resource.

We share the responsibility to protect it and to take care of it in these times when resources are limited.

The Budget has clearly indicated that my government is going to invest in health care.

The initiatives that we are going to undertake in the health sector support healthy living habits, illness prevention and health promotion. The Budget supports many important programs and I am proud to say that after many years of under-funding in the health sector, we will be leaders again in this sector.

The government will transform the health system so that it is centred on the patients, aimed at clients and centred on results.

For example, the government wants to decrease the waiting period for essential health services.

You will see the creation of 150 Family Health Teams, comprised of doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners and other health care providers who will be available across Ontario over the next four years, providing the best around-the-clock health care.

For your families, we will provide free vaccinations to children this year for chickenpox, meningitis and pneumonia, which will mean potential savings of more than $600 per child.

This year, our government is counting on preventing SARS and the West Nile virus by allocating 273 million dollars to public health services.

This represents the solution for improving and maintaining the overall health of Ontarians.

PAUSE

We are celebrating the 400th anniversary of Champlain's arrival in Canada this year and I would like to invite you to take part in the numerous activities taking place throughout the province.

For example, Destination Nord, whose mission it is to develop and promote Francophone tourism in northern Ontario has organized the Circuit Champlain. The Circuit includes Montréal, Ottawa, Champlain Lake, the Ottawa River, the French River and Georgian Bay and then returns along lake Ontario. The goal of the circuit is to promote cultural tourism by including conservation sites.

Also, the Ontario Government will be present at the Franco-Ontarian Festival. The Government of Ontario's theme is "400 years of French presence in North America". Several Ontario Ministries will be participating and unique services and demonstrations will be present to inform the public and promote services offered by the province.

To finish, I would like to invite all those who want to apply to chair the committees of various organizations and boards of the Government of Ontario. We need Francophones and I hope you will not hesitate to submit your resume.

Thank you!