I strongly oppose to the planned elimination of the mandatory long-form census in 2011 by the Federal Government. I would like to point out that, although Statistics Canada is a federal agency, they are also in many ways a unique service provider to all levels of government. Ontario pays for information and analysis from the data retrieved from Statistics Canada. Actually, they are the only reliable source for the vital data used by all of us
to perform our basic, daily tasks. Be it in Health, Immigration, Transportation, and of course, Francophone Affairs, we all need reliable data to establish a precise picture of our communities and households. Because this unilateral decision affects all communities, municipal and provincial governments, I urge the provincial Government of Ontario to strongly react to this dramatic change to the only service provider capable of obtaining this data. There is simply no other alternative but to restore the mandatory long-form census.
François Boileau
French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario, Toronto
COMMISSIONER CALLS ON THE GOVERNMENT
TO HONOUR ITS COMMITMENT
Toronto, June 3, 2010 – Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner,
François Boileau, released his third annual report today in which he expressed his
impatience with the provincial government, calling on it to honour its commitment to resolve the issue of third-party French-language service delivery.
“The government acknowledged there was a problem when I raised this issue two years ago. Even though it made a commitment to resolve the issue, it has not come to any decisions since then. It is time for the government to take action and to implement the solutions that I suggested,” stated Mr. Boileau, who is calling on the provincial government to introduce a regulatory framework for the delivery of French-language services by third parties in 2010-2011.
The Commissioner has recommended that any future law authorizing the privatization of services contain specific clauses indicating that the rights for which provision is made in the French Language Services Act will continue to apply.
“These gaps in French-language service delivery have gone on long enough. When offering French-language services, suppliers must also make daily life easier for French-speaking Ontarians. It is time for the government to close these gaps and for Francophones to stop paying the price,” Mr. Boileau explained.
In 2009-2010, the Commissioner’s Office received 351 complaints; 294 of these were investigated. In his annual report, the Commissioner made six recommendations targeting specific sectors. He recommended that, when all or part of their funding comes from the province, health units be required to apply the French Language Services Act. He recommended that a regulation be enacted to ensure that the province’s community care access centres comply with the French Language Services Act and that Children’s Aid Societies actively offer their services in French throughout Ontario.
The Commissioner also recommended the creation of a clear directive on active offer. The current arrangement is woefully inadequate, with the application of the concept of active offer often being left to the discretion of the government ministry or agency concerned.
QUICK FACTS
Open for Solutions is the French Language Services Commissioner’s third annual report. It covers the period from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010.
In his report, the Commissioner has made six recommendations. He is calling for:
the inclusion of specific clauses on French-language services in any law authorizing privatization;
the creation of a regulatory framework for third-party French-language service delivery in 2010-2011;
the application of the French Language Services Act by the health units when all or part of their funding comes from the province;
a regulation to ensure that Community Care Access Centres comply with the French Language Services Act;
the creation of a clear directive on active offer, including a strategy to promote the offer of government services in French; and
the integration of the active offer of French-language services by the province’s Children’s Aid Societies into their service delivery across Ontario.
Marie-Eve Pépin, Communications and Public Relations Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario
Phone: 416 314-8247, Cell.: 416-906-7021
Toll-free line: 1 866 246-5262
E-mail: marie-eve.pepin@ontario.ca
COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR
FRENCH LANGUAGE HEALTH SERVICES IN PEEL-HALTON
NEWS
Toronto, March 30, 2010 – François Boileau, Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner, released his first-ever formal investigation report today. In it, he concluded that the region of Peel-Halton has lacked integrated French-language health services for over 20 years.
The report reveals that, since the enactment of the French Language Services Act in 1989, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has failed to take steps to ensure that French language health services are delivered to the francophone community in Peel-Halton. It also reveals that the Ministry has systematically rejected repeated proposal submissions for these integrated services from the Francophone community in Peel-Halton. In spite of the fact that this region is a designated area, the Ministry has never really offered alternatives to the community. The Commissioner made three recommendations in his investigation report, including that specific models be developed for the delivery of French-language health services and that these models be implemented by the end of 2010.
QUOTES
“The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is ultimately responsible for the lack of French language health services in the region of Peel-Halton. It is up to the Ministry to respond quickly to the Francophone community with solutions, not the other way around. Responsibility for solving this problem is not just up to the community. Consequently, I expect the Ministry to take action, in cooperation with the Local Health Integration Networks that serve this region, in order to remedy this situation, which is a violation of the French Language Services Act,” stated François Boileau.
“For years, the Francophone community in Peel-Halton has faced great difficulties obtaining French-language health services. Good intentions are no longer enough. True, integrated French-language health services must be offered without further delay,” insisted Mr. Boileau.
QUICK FACTS
The investigation into the lack of French-language health services in Peel-Halton was in response to a complaint filed with the Commissioner’s Office in November 2007. The Commissioner’s Office determined that this complaint was well-founded.
During the course of his investigation, the French Language Services Commissioner also released a Special Report on French Language Health Services Planning In Ontario in May 2009 in which he made eight recommendations.
LEARN MORE
Consult the Commissioner’s Investigation Report at www.flsc.gov.on.ca .
Consult the Commissioner’s Special Report on French Language Health Services Planning in Ontario, 2009 here.
Marie-Eve Pépin, Communications and Public Relations Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario
Phone: 416 314-8247 / Toll-free: 1 866 246-5262 / Cell:416-906-7021 marie-eve.pepin@ontario.ca www.flsc.gov.on.ca
OVER ONE HUNDRED COMPLAINTS WITH RESPECT TO
HEALTH CARE ABOUT TO BE RESOLVED
NEWS Toronto, January 15, 2010 – The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner is about to resolve over one hundred complaints that were received in Fall 2008 following the publication of a proposed regulation on the Francophone community’s engagement in the area of health services in Ontario.
Today’s announcement by the government on the adoption of this regulation allowing for the creation of French language health planning entities represents the resolution of one of the longest series of complaints received by the Office to date.
It also represents a positive and tangible response to one of the recommendations made by Commissioner François Boileau in May 2009. In his Special Report on Health, the Commissioner recommended that the government “provide for true French language health planning entities for each LHIN or group of LHINs”.
According to the Commissioner, the health planning entities will improve access to French language health services across the province. Moreover, they will improve the quality of these services, while ensuring that they meet the specific needs of the Francophone population.
QUOTES
“I am very pleased with today’s announcement. This is excellent news for the Francophone community, because it is in the best position to understand its own needs and priorities in the area of French health services. The French language planning entities will meet these needs and close a gap that has existed for far too long in relation to the planning of French language health services in Ontario,” stated François Boileau.
“We can only hope that the necessary resources will now be made available to the health planning entities so that they can accomplish their mission. Rigorous follow-up will also be required to ensure that a French language services planner-coordinator position is created at a senior management level within each LHIN or group of LHINs. I plan to monitor this very closely,” added Mr. Boileau.
QUICK FACTS
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner received over one hundred complaints in Fall 2008 regarding the publication of a proposed regulation on health services.
The French Language Services Commissioner published a Special Report on French Language Health Services Planning in Ontario, with eight recommendations, in May 2009.
Marie-Eve Pépin, Communications and Public Relations Officer
Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario
Phone: 416 314-8247 / Toll-free: 1 866 246-5262 / Cell:416-906-7021 marie-eve.pepin@ontario.ca www.flsc.gov.on.ca
