Panels of experts on linguistic rights to discuss 25 years of the French Language Services Act

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Panels of experts on linguistic rights to discuss 25 years of
the French Language Services Act

OTTAWA, October 31, 2011 – Franco-Ontarians from various backgrounds and walks of life will meet in Ottawa next month to discuss linguistic rights. The discussions will be held as part of the Conference on 25 Years of the French Language Services Act, which takes place on November 17 and 18, 2011, at the University of Ottawa’s Desmarais Building.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of this quasi-constitutional statute, 25 panelists have been selected to address five different topics: (i) the role of the Act and the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, (ii) reasons for requesting service in French, (iii) reasons to love Ontario’s new Francophonie, (iv) reasons for requesting designation, and (v) future prospects.

A number of organizations will be represented at the Conference and will take part in the discussions. Among the participants: Jacinthe Desaulniers, from the French Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario, Denis Hubert-Dutrisac, from Collège Boréal; Raymond Lemay, from Valoris for Children and Adults of Prescott-Russell, Jeannine Proulx, from ACFO Mille-Îles, and Max Cooke, from Canadian Parents for French and French for the Future.

The Conference will include an assessment of the impact of the French Language Services Act and a look ahead at what the future holds for French-speaking newcomers and their prospects for integration into Franco-Ontarian society.

QUICK FACTS

  • The Conference on 25 Years of the French Language Services Act is a collaboration between the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa, the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO) and GroupeMédia TFO, with the support of the Office of Francophone Affairs.
  • The Conference is intended for university researchers, legal experts as well as the general public.
  • The Conference and the Gala are open to the media.

INFORMATION 

Gyula Kovacs, Public Relations and Communications Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, 416 314-8247 or 1 866 246-5262
communications.flscCSF@ontario.ca

Karine Proulx, Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa, 613 562-5800 ext. 3149, 613 219-3058 (cell)
karine.proulx@uOttawa.ca