Location: What's New > Minister's Office > Speeches > May 31, 2007

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Speech by the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs and Minister of Community and Social Services

at the Gala Dinner of the 2nd Community Forum and Annual General Meeting of the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario

Crown Plaza Hotel, Ottawa
Thursday, May 31, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ms. Carrier-Fraser,
Ms. Chatué,
Distinguished Guests,

Good evening.

It gives me great pleasure to be here with you today.

I am especially happy to be here because AFO is a very special stakeholder for the Ontario government.

Its status as a very special stakeholder comes from the federative role AFO plays as well as from the spectrum of sectoral interests it represents.

On behalf of all Ontarians, I would like to thank you for your leadership and unflagging commitment.

As you and I well know, the vitality of the entire Francophone community depends on the willingness of its members to take action in the present in order to secure their future.

As the rallying point for the leaders of a fast developing francophonie, AFO has clearly chosen to assert its pride in being Francophone and living in French in Ontario. All of you, individually and collectively, also play an active part in the present and future dynamics of Ontario's francophonie.

An effectively organized civil society lays the foundation for a healthy and fully participative democracy.

Representative organizations like AFO play a crucial role in the development of a strong and energetic civil society where citizen engagement is the guarantor of a vision of society that will benefit current and future generations.

From the start, AFO has tried to create a space for reflection and action around the major questions affecting the Franco-Ontarian community in all its diversity.

The word "community" automatically brings to mind the idea of a group of individuals who of course share allegiances and interests, but who also share a sense of belonging linked to a common history and a common language and culture.

In short, what makes a community a community goes beyond individuals to form a collective will to act in solidarity for the betterment of the whole.

This year's theme, "Se mobiliser pour mieux agir", is very much in line with this.

For it is by building on the mobilizing effects of collaboration and solidarity that we can draw on the collective will and the means at its disposal to benefit all Francophones.

The Ontario government recognizes the crucial importance of this collective will to act and to progress. That is why we are using all the means at our disposal to strengthen the foundations of Ontario's francophonie and in this way contribute to its vitality.

Our government seeks to be a loyal partner in building a civil society in which the Francophone community is a full stakeholder in its development and future.

Evidence of this may be found in the recent advances in which our government is proud to have been instrumental, in partnership, naturally, with community stakeholders.

First let me mention Montfort, which recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Rassemblement SOS, a turning point in the modern history of French Ontario. Montfort is at one and the same time the symbol of a cause, the embodiment of an institutional ideal and the standard bearer of a promising future.

As you know, today Montfort is blossoming anew, thanks to an additional government investment of 185 million dollars, which represents a real step forward for Francophones in Ontario.

The government has accorded Montfort its rightful place among the province's hospitals, through the number of patients it serves, through the quality of care it provides, through its technological and scientific advances, through the excellence of the specialists who find at Montfort a working and learning environment that meets their requirements.

Montfort stands out because of its symbolic value not only for Ontario's francophonie, but for Canadian Francophonie as a whole.

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A healthy and dynamic civil society must invest in the present while also looking to the future.

That is why our government is putting so much into education. And French language education is part of this vision.

Under our government, French language schools are experiencing unprecedented growth, thanks, in part, to 317 million dollars in additional funding to the French language education system.

Ontario has passed the billion mark in terms of dollars spent annually on the education of French-speaking children and youth.

This is funding on a scale unequalled across the country.

Thanks to these targeted investments and the quality of our teachers, it is not surprising that students in French language schools are more and more successful.

And, but don't say this too loudly, in some respects they are leading the field in the province.

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And what can I say about TFO, this jewel in the crown of French Ontario, to which the government has recently granted full governance with an independent board of directors and a separate operating budget.

This is another example of the government's desire to endow the Franco-Ontarian community with autonomous, fully equipped institutions to provide our community with a promising future.

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Twenty years after the adoption of the French Language Services Act, another historic page has been turned with the recent adoption by the Ontario Legislature of the bill creating the Office of the Commissioner of French Language Services.

Our government is very proud of this initiative. It marks a new and extremely important step in the evolution of relations between the provincial government and Ontario's francophonie, and strengthens the foundations of the French Language Services Act.

The Office of the Commissioner of French Language Services will give Francophones a stronger voice as well as more transparent and effective recourse in ensuring respect for their right to receive services in French.

The process of recruiting the first Commissioner will start shortly.

Moreover, I am grateful for the support provided by AFO throughout this process.

Madame President Carrier-Fraser, I would like to express my thanks to you.

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I would be remiss in not mentioning the travelling exhibition recently launched by the Office of Francophone Affairs in cooperation with the Vanier Museopark.

With this exhibition, called Ontario's Francophonie: Then and Now, the Ontario government is paying tribute to the Franco-Ontarian community, whose history goes back four centuries.

This overview of four hundred years of history plays out in French and English on 22 panels. The exhibition has already started to tour the province, thanks to a partnership with the Regroupement des organismes du patrimoine franco-ontarien.

If I am not mistaken, you will be able to take a look at this exhibition as part of the 30th anniversary of the FCCF, which is being celebrated this weekend.

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Since the exploits of the past are guarantors of the present and the future, we are preparing to launch the second edition of the Ontario Francophonie Awards.

You will recall that the first awards were presented by the Premier of Ontario, the Honourable Dalton McGuinty, last November, at the gala celebration of the 20th anniversary of the French Language Services Act.

These Ontario government awards honour Francophones and Francophiles who have distinguished themselves through their contribution to the vitality of the Francophone community.

The nomination period extends from June 15 to September 14, 2007. This second round of awards will be announced during the 2008 International Francophonie Week.

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As you know, Ontario is filled with Francophones who deserve recognition.

I would therefore like to close this speech by congratulating the three new honorary members of AFO, three people whom we all know well.

Their unflagging commitment to Ontario's francophonie and the important role they play in our institutions have earned them the well deserved honour they are receiving today.

Jean (Comtois), Maxim (Jean-Louis), Simon (Lalande), congratulations.

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Let us not forget that Ontario has the largest Francophone community outside Quebec and that the province is a role model for other jurisdictions across Canada.

Evidence of this fact will be very visible at the Francophone and Acadian Community Summit, which starts tomorrow.

Thanks to AFO, Ontario's francophonie is making a strong comeback on the national stage – and I know that you will make your mark on these pan-Canadian deliberations.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, I wish you a fruitful forum, a productive annual general meeting and an excellent evening.