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François Boileau
French Language Services Commissioner
This parting message will not have the dose of humour that I put into previous blog posts; instead, it will be filled with sincere emotion. As we all know, all good things must come to an end. The end of a great mandate as French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario.
It is particularly sad that in addition to being the first commissioner, I am also the last, no matter what the government says. I talk about this, and other things, in my final annual report. You can’t imagine what an honour it has been to work with you. I’m not going to lie: this decade is not ending as I would have hoped, but I’m still very proud of what we’ve accomplished. You should also be proud of yourselves. Yes, of your contribution! Through the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, we built and reinforced bridges so that we would have access to high-quality French-language services.
That work over the last 12 years is not something I did by myself. We all contributed to improving, maintaining and creating French-language services. Through your complaints, you guided and empowered both me and the members of my team. All this to say that my departure does not signal the end of French-language services. Stay the way you are – engaged and motivated to expand your horizons and preserve our beautiful language. Whatever your place in, or contribution to, this wonderful community, you’re making it stronger. Keep talking about your ideas, your experiences, your successes and, most importantly, your challenges.
As I’ve often repeated in my speeches, I’ve travelled a lot in this province and met some exceptional people: members of the community, government officials, representatives of organizations, and many more. I also wanted to take the time to thank you for your warm welcome, your availability and, most of all, your great generosity. I am leaving my position, it is true, but as we all know, there is still a lot of work to be done. My 27 reports are there for a reason. I hope that the new French-language services unit in the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario will pay particular attention to them. Above all, though, I’m counting on your support in continuing to express your needs and issues loud and clear through complaints.
As I leave you, I’m getting ready to embark on a new venture. Yes, a new path … and I admit I don’t yet know where it will lead. Before that, a well-deserved rest, and then we’ll see what the future holds for me. I close this final blog post with a salute to all those who have been part of my team. I want to express my genuine gratitude. Thank you for all those wonderful moments that we shared, your professionalism, and your dedication to the Francophonie. Until we meet again, I wish you well.
I am ending this blog post without giving in to too much sadness, because I had a fantastic job and I gained a great deal from it. What an immense privilege it was to have served Ontario! So this is not goodbye.
A rather exceptional conference will be held in Toronto on June 26 and 27, and I want to draw it to your attention because it is really worth attending. It will be the VIth Annual International Conference of the International Association of Language Commissioners (IALC).
A conference like no other
Why am I calling this an exceptional event? First because the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2019 the “International Year of Indigenous Languages.” Consequently, Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Canada, will be the keynote speaker, and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, will deliver a speech to kick off the Evening Reception sponsored in partnership with the Northwest Territories Language Commissioner.
Second because it will bring together experts from around the world to discuss topics of current interest such as the preservation of indigenous languages world-wide and the protection of minority languages. The plenary sessions and group workshops will explore the effective representation of linguistic minorities through independent institutions and respect for linguistic diversity in multilingual societies.
We have the great pleasure of announcing that the closing address of this exceptional event will be given by the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
High-calibre panellists, an exciting book
During the two days of this conference, with the assistance of extraordinary panellists such as Dr. Mpho Monareng, CEO of the Pan South African Language Board, Anne Chaplin, Senior General Counsel, Department of Justice Canada, Dr. Tove Hansen Malloy, Director of the European Centre for Minority Issues, and Professor Rawinia Higgins, Vice-Chancellor Māori and Chairperson of the Māori Language Commission, New Zealand, the best way of setting standards for minority language protection will be discussed; successes, challenges and best practices will be examined; and the future of language rights around the world will be explored.
Other topics will include technology and transmission; legislative frameworks; investigations; integration, consultation and mediation tools; and of course, the role of ombudsmen, language commissioners and commissions.
In addition, during the conference, the members of the IALC will present a collaborative book on the pivotal role of ombudsmen and language commissioners and the challenges they face in carrying out their mandates.
Preparing and organizing the conference: Something the Commissioner’s Office can be proud of
Reaffirming once again its commitment to minority language protection, and as a founding member of the International Association of Language Commissioners (IALC), the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner was set to host the 2019 international conference in Toronto in June. The Office started working on the conference about a year ago, and since early 2019, it has been all hands on deck (or almost all) preparing the conference down to the last detail and making sure that all participants would be properly received.
However, in view of the recent legislative changes and the consequent elimination of the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, the conference’s official host will be the Ombudsman of Ontario, who has since become a member of the IALC. I am sincerely grateful to Ombudsman of Ontario Paul Dubé for graciously agreeing to have his Office host the conference.
It is worth noting that this is the first time the Franco-Ontarian community has had the opportunity to host national and international experts to discuss where minorities stand. This conference is not only for researchers and academics but also for the entire Francophone and Francophile community. It’s a great opportunity to show that we exist as a strong community.
To emphasize that Canadian linguistic duality, the programming team included a panel discussion to assess the prospects and challenges of protecting linguistic minorities in Canada. The panellists include Senator René Cormier of the Senate of Canada, William Floch of the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise, Roger Lepage and Stéphanie Chouinard of Queen’s University.
So don’t delay. Register here to take part in two days of intense, productive discussions:
* Founded in 2014, the IALC is an independent body made up of language commissioners and ombudsmen from around the world. Members include Ireland, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Kosovo, Flanders, Wales and Canada, including Ontario, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The IALC’s mission is to support language commissioners and advance the rights of linguistic minorities, equality and diversity by sharing experiences, knowledge and best practices, and cooperating with like-minded organizations that embrace the promotion and protection of human and language rights.
These are the speaking notes made to the Standing Committee on Social Policy on April 1st, 2019, and the brief I submitted.
You can read the recommendations I made about Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act, 2019, and its impact on health services in French.
Here are the main excerpts from my statement:
Bill 74, ThePeople’s Health Care Act, 2019 (PHCA), if adopted, will impact how health services are planned, coordinated, funded and provided and will have major implications for French-language health services. Bill 74 creates Ontario Health, a single agency to operate and oversee services throughout the province and eliminates the 14 Local Health Integration Networks.
(…)
In its preamble, Bill 74 outlines the obligation to respect the requirements of the French Language Services Act but provides little language on how this will be done. We would like to see this part of the bill amended to clarify that this requirement applies to the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of the French-language health services. We propose a detailed wording to that effect in our first recommendation, which would require unanimous consent from this Committee.
(…)
What is not clear at this stage is the scope of responsibility of the Entities, and to whom they will be able to provide advice. Their voice must be equally heard at the local and at the provincial levels. Their role in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation stages is crucial. Section 44 of Bill 74 seems promising in terms of the relations between Entities and Ontario Health. But their role goes deeper as they need to be able to interact daily with the newly created Ontario Health Teams across the province. Our recommendation #6 propose a wording that would reiterate the importance of a solid regulation scheme to that effect.
(…)
When Ontario Health Teams are established, and the integration of community health service providers within these teams takes place, the government will have to ensure that health services providers that are fully or partially designated under the French Language Services Act maintain the designation of these services. This obligation should be clearly specified in Bill 74 so that no French-language services are eliminated. This is crucial. Our recommendations #4 and #5 addresses these important issues.
(…)
As in all transitions, the process of designating Ontario Health Teams and integrating service providers may also provide an opportunity to evaluate and vet the capacity of service providers to provide French language services. (…) It might be an opportune time to test the new designation process under the French Language Services Act that I have recommended ever since the Minister of Francophone Affairs, the Honourable Caroline Mulroney, took office.
(…)
But before everything gels, much time will pass. Time can lead to uncertainty, and uncertainty to paralysis or worse. Therefore, we recommend a precise wording, in our recommendation #10, in Part V on Transfers. Our proposal calls for a clear regulation to set out the duties of the Agency, the integrated care delivery systems and health service providers for consulting with the French language health planning entities. While the Bill confirms that their voices will be heard at the provincial level, we strongly recommend that provisions be added to confirm the role of Entities at the local level, as well as their ability to guide the integration and coordination of services by Ontario Health Teams.
(…)
As this reform unfolds, my office will continue to provide constructive advice and collaborate with the Ministry to ensure the best possible outcomes for the provision of improved French language health services in the province.
Bill 74, ThePeople’s Health Care Act, 2019 (PHCA), if adopted, will impact how health services are planned, coordinated, funded and provided and will have major implications for French-language health services. Bill 74 creates Ontario Health, a single agency to operate and oversee services throughout the province and eliminates the 14 Local Health Integration Networks.
Ontario Health will designate Ontario Health Teams at the local level. These teams will be responsible for coordinating and providing care to specific populations and geographic areas. These Teams will include, for example, hospitals, long-term care homes, community care agencies and community health centres. They will be clinically and fiscally accountable for delivering a co-ordinated continuum of care.
Several proposed initiatives may have a positive impact on accessing French language health services. First, the government will introduce new tools to improve how patients and their families navigate the health system. This is promising for Francophones who face access barriers. Secondly, the government wants to optimize the use of digital resources to increase access to specialists. This is also a promising initiative for Francophones living in smaller more isolated communities.
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, the Honourable Christine Elliott, insisted yesterday on improving access to online health records. It is going to be critical to ensure that these tools are fully accessible in French. Don’t let this begin the wrong way, as we know, from past experiences how difficult – and costly – administrative and program revisions are.
The Minister reiterated numerous times that this new system would let patients have a say in their health care journey. For Francophones, this ability to influence the provision of health care services in French will be established by maintaining the French Language Health Services Council and the French Language Health Planning Entities.
What is not clear at this stage is the scope of responsibility of the Entities, and to whom they will be able to provide advice. Their voice must be equally heard at the local and at the provincial levels. Their role in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation stages is crucial. Section 44 of Bill 74 seems promising in terms of the relations between Entities and Ontario Health. But their role goes deeper as they need to be able to interact daily with the newly created Ontario Health Teams across the province.
In its preamble, Bill 74 outlines the obligation to respect the requirements of the French Language Services Act but provides little language on how this will be done. The commissioner’s office would like to see this part of the bill amended to clarify that this requirement applies to the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of the French-language health services.
While the Commissioner’s office agrees that centralizing the planning and coordination of health services may be beneficial to issue stronger, more systemic directives with regards to French-language health services, it will be up to the senior management of Ontario Health to issue and implement such directives.
When Ontario Health Teams are established, and the integration of community health service providers within these teams takes place, the government will have to ensure that health services providers that are fully or partially designated under the French Language Services Act maintain the designation of these services. This obligation should be clearly specified in Bill 74 so that no French-language services are eliminated.
As in all transitions, the process of designating Ontario Health Teams and integrating service providers may also provide an opportunity to evaluate and vet the capacity of service providers to provide French language services. Through this process, health services providers that have some capacity to provide French language services should be supported in seeking their designation under the FLS Act. It might be an opportune time to test the new designation process under the French Language Services Act that I have recommended ever since the Minister of Francophone Affairs, the Honourable Caroline Mulroney, took office.
The new legislation unveiled by the Health and Long-Term Care Minister yesterday creates mechanisms for collaboration between the new Ontario Health agency and the existing French Language Health Planning Entities. I applaud the fact that Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act, 2019, recognizes the important role that Entities can play in advising Ontario Health.
In the weeks to come, I will recommend that this role be further clarified to include all aspects of the planning, delivery, evaluation and deployment of health services for French-speaking communities. In addition, while the Bill confirms that their voices will be heard at the provincial level, we strongly recommend that provisions be added to confirm the role of Entities at the local level, and their ability to guide the integration and coordination of services by Ontario Health Teams.
As this reform unfolds, my office will continue to provide constructive advice and collaborate with the Ministry to ensure the best possible outcomes for the provision of improved French language health services in the province.
