Conclusion
The Commissioner is producing this, his tenth annual report, against a backdrop of widely established credibility and viability. This summary clearly illustrates the advances the Francophone community has made in the area of French-language services. And it is only the beginning.
The end of 2016 was a time for thoughtful reflection on Ontario’s Francophonie, particularly with Ontario having joined the International Organisation of La Francophonie as an observer, and the 30th anniversary of the French Language Services Act. The conference on the 30th anniversary of the French Language Services Act80 dealt with the objective of the last annual report by the Commissioner’s Office, FLSA 2.0, which discussed revision of the Act.81 The bold discussions provided food for thought about the scope and potential of a redesigned Act. The Commissioner took note of the commitment made by the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, the Honourable Marie-France Lalonde, to proceed with an overhaul of the Act.
Over time, the Commissioner’s Office has become a credible, reliable beacon for Francophone and Francophile Ontarians, and it is certainly a model for the other provinces. The Commissioner therefore urges the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs to honour her commitment to revise the Act so that Ontario remains in the vanguard with respect to French-language services.
Recommendation 10
After 10 years of real results and real impact for the Francophone community, the Commissioner recommends that the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs take this opportunity to kick-start the legislative review process without delay and, as stated in his last annual report, hold a public consultation, with special emphasis on the Francophone population, which would serve as a starting point for revising the French Language Services Act.
80. Supra footnote 25.
81. For further details, see https://commonlaw.uottawa.ca/en/events/lsf30 (in French only) (page accessed in March 2017).