TORONTO, February 7, 2018 – Today, the Attorney General, Mr. Yasir Naqvi, announced the establishment of the Attorney General’s Access to Justice in French Advisory Committee, which will be chaired by Mr. Justice Paul S. Rouleau, of the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
“I would like to acknowledge the leadership of the Attorney General in this matter and I hope that the Committee will have enough independence, resources, and flexibility to fulfill its mandate. The Committee’s work will undoubtedly have a positive impact on providing French language services and access to justice in French in general”, states Mr. François Boileau, French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario.
This Committee, composed of experts from the government, the judiciary and the community, is of capital importance because its mandate will be to assess the current issues connected with access to justice in French and then to submit practical recommendations and solutions to the Attorney General.
“I am confident that we will soon see the day where Francophone litigants will not have to wait longer and spend more money to assert their language rights in the courts of this province. We are already seeing the positive impact of the Seamless Access to Justice in French Pilot Project, which became a permanent project last fall”, says the Commissioner.
Key facts
In its 2008-2009 Annual Report, the French Language Services Commissioner addressed the challenges related to access to justice in French and recommended that the Attorney General set up a committee composed of members of the judiciary, of the Bar and of practitioners working for the Francophone community. Its mandate would be to find ways to improve judges’ knowledge in language rights matters and to address the lack of bilingual judges in Ontario.
In response to the Commissioner’s recommendations, the Attorney General established, in 2010, a French Language Services Bench and Bar Advisory Committee. This Committee made two findings in particular in its report entitled Access to Justice in French: first, it is possible that certain members of the judiciary are not sufficiently informed on Francophone language rights and, second, it could be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to bring proceedings in French before the courts of the province.
In 2015, the French Language Services Bench and Bar Response Steering Committee, co-chaired by Justice Julie Thorburn and by Ms. Elizabeth Bucci, published a report that reviewed the practical solutions implemented after the Rouleau-LeVay Report was published. The Committee recommended the establishment of a long-term mechanism, such as a French language services oversight committee, to assess ongoing progress, as well as new measures to improve access to language rights for Francophones in the province.
In its 2016-2017 Annual Report, the Commissioner reiterated the importance of such a committee under the Attorney General.
The development and implementation of measures to improve access to justice in French require the involvement of many players, including the Ministry of the Attorney General, the judiciary, the Law Society of Ontario, the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO), and the federal government. All of these parties are closely connected when it comes to dealing with the challenges posed by access to justice in French. The new permanent committee will certainly create opportunities for discussion and sharing on all fronts, which will lead to concrete, structured recommendations that will bring about future change.
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner reports directly to Legislative Assembly of Ontario and its mandate is to ensure that the delivery of government services complies with the French Language Services Act.
TORONTO, November 30, 2017 – Commissioner François Boileau is delighted with the recent announcement by the Prime Minister of Canada, who has just nominated Raymond Théberge to be Commissioner of Official Languages. This appointment will be confirmed only once the House of Commons and the Senate have approved it in accordance with the Official Languages Act (OLA).
Mr. Boileau stated this: “In my work at the Office of French Language Services, I worked with Mr. Théberge in many files, in particular in the field of education. I am looking forward to working with him to continue to enrich the efficient and fruitful collaboration between our respective offices. At the same time, I would like to highlight Ms. Ghislaine Saikaley’s outstanding work over the last year”.
The Senate is studying the modernisation of the OLA, which will give many groups the opportunity to offer their thoughts on five subjects. The Office of French Language Services intends to participate in this discussion by submitting a brief to guide discussions at the federal level. Another objective of the brief is to assess the possible repercussions that the overhaul of the Official Languages Act will have on the French Language Services Act and, accordingly, on French-language services in Ontario.
Quick facts
• In 2012, a memorandum of understanding made it possible to formalize the collaboration between the two commissioners and to maximize the support that they offer to citizens and to communities, and well as to other parties who benefit from their services.
• In a study published in 2013, the Commissioner of Federal Languages of Canada, in partnership with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages for New Brunswick and the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario, made ten recommendations to Canada’s Justice Minister that would ensure that Canadians have access to justice in both official languages.
• In 2014, the Commissioner of Federal Languages of Canada, Graham Fraser, and the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario, François Boileau, published a joint report that highlights how important it is that the federal and provincial governments offer a Francophone perspective in their immigration policies and programs.
• In 2014, the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario signed a memorandum of understanding with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and the Toronto 2015 Organizing Committee for the Pan American/Parapan American Games to ensure that the linguistic duality of Canada and Ontario was supported and represented before, during, and after, these greatly anticipated games.
• Mr. Raymond Théberge has been President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moncton for almost five years. Before that, he held several positions in Ontario. He led Canada’s Council of Ministers of Education and then became Assistant Deputy Minister of the French Language, Aboriginal Learning and Research Division at Ontario’s Ministry of Education, and at Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner reports directly to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and its mandate is to ensure that the delivery of government services complies with the French Language Services Act.
Ontario is making it easier for French-speaking people in the Ottawa region to access French-language justice services.
Today, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi, joined by Marie-France Lalonde, Minister of Francophone Affairs, and François Boileau, the French Language Services Commissioner, was in Ottawa to release the final report on the Seamless Access to Justice in French pilot project, and announce that important changes made at the Ottawa courthouse to increase access to justice for French-speakers will be made permanent.
The pilot project, which was delivered in partnership with Ontario’s chief justices, has enhanced access to justice in French at the Ottawa courthouse by:
Clearly displaying information about French language rights specific to family, criminal, civil, and Small Claims Court matters throughout the courthouse
Informing French-speaking individuals of their French language rights at the earliest opportunity to help them navigate Ontario’s justice system and exercise their right to proceed in French
Actively offering services in French through greetings, public announcements and signage in both official languages, so that French-speaking court users are aware of and can access French services
Establishing protocols between local government officials and Ottawa judiciary to facilitate access to justice in French.
The ongoing work to improve access to justice in French for all Franco-Ontarians will be supported by a new Access to Justice in French Advisory Committee that will be established in the near future. The government is also sharing the report with French Language Services Regional Committees throughout the province.
Enhancing justice services for French-speaking people in Ontario is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
Quick Facts
The project responded to a number of recommendations set out by the French Language Services Bench and Bar Advisory committee in its 2012 Access to Justice in French report and the French Language Services Commissioner’s 2013-2014 Annual Report and will help Ontario identify best practices to enhance access to justice in French at court locations throughout the province.
About 622,415 francophones live in Ontario, which is the largest French-speaking community in Canada outside of Quebec.
About 42 per cent of Ontario francophones live in eastern Ontario. The rest live in central (30 per cent), northeastern (21 per cent), southwestern (six per cent) and northwestern (one per cent) Ontario.
“I would like to thank the pilot project team and the chief justices for their commitment to enhancing access to justice in French. The Ottawa courthouse will continue to proactively offer service in French and ensure that francophones are aware of their rights. Making these changes permanent is an important step in building a more accessible justice system for Franco-Ontarians across the province.”
Yasir Naqvi – Attorney General
“I would like to thank all the justice professionals who contributed to the success of this pilot project. Their efforts and commitment have resulted in the long-term viability of French-language services at the Ottawa courthouse and given us the opportunity of generalizing this approach for the benefit of the entire Franco-Ontarian community.”
Marie-France Lalonde – Minister of Francophone Affairs
“The initiatives at the Ottawa courthouse under the pilot project are now permanent, which is excellent news for francophones. The pilot project demonstrated that it is possible to improve access to justice in French with concrete measures, since we no longer receive complaints about the courthouse in Ottawa. The time has come for other courthouses in the province to benefit from the useful initiatives implemented in Ottawa to ensure holistic access to justice for all francophones.”
François Boileau – French Language Services Commissioner
“This pilot has created a unique opportunity to review and assess current judicial scheduling practices to ensure the needs of the francophone community are met. The Superior Court of Justice will continue to partner with the ministry to enhance access to justice for all francophones in Ontario.”
The Honourable Heather J. Smith – Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
“The pilot project has enhanced access to justice for francophones in Ottawa. The Ontario Court of Justice is pleased to have been a partner in the pilot project and welcomes having the project made permanent to better serve all Ottawa court users.”
The Honourable Lise T. Maisonneuve – Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice
TORONTO, September 5, 2017 — In response to a notice of amendments to Regulation 515/09 concerning engagement with the Francophone community, the Commissioner, François Boileau, has made new recommendations for encouraging more productive collaboration between local health system integration networks (LHINs) and French language health planning entities.
“The amendments will help to strengthen the existing collaboration between LHINs and the entities; they will make that collaboration more concrete and focused than before when it comes to access to health services in French. With the planning and accountability tools that will support that collaboration, it will guarantee better delivery of health services that are adapted to the needs of Francophone patients in Ontario,” Mr. Boileau said.
In the notice, the Ministry includes a recommendation that LHINs be required to work with the entities to implement new strategies for improving access to health services in French.
“While the amendments to Regulation 515/09 as proposed now by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care could have provided for a greater level of collaboration between LHINs and the entities, they do represent a major step in the right direction, and are certainly an improvement over the present situation,” Commissioner Boileau added.
The Commissioner supports the amendments as proposed now by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and reiterates that he will continue to collaborate with the Ministry and other stakeholders to ensure that Francophone patients are a priority in the healthcare system.
Quick facts
• In 2006, the Government of Ontario decentralized the health system. The Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 (LHSIA) then created 14 LHINs (Local Health Integration Networks).
• When the government created the LHINs, it did not include the needs of Francophones in health services planning at the local level, an omission that resulted in over 100 complaints being filed with the Office of the Commissioner between 2007 and 2008, and led to the preparation of a special report.
• In May 2009, the Commissioner released the Special Report on French Language Services Planning in Ontario, which prompted the government to make Regulation 151/09 concerning engagement with the Francophone community in relation to health services in French, and to create planning entities.
• In November 2016, during the process of enacting Bill 41, the Patients First Act, 2016, the Commissioner, along with many others, hoped that the role of those entities would evolve into a partnership with the LHINs for planning services in French. Unfortunately, the bill was enacted without being amended to reflect that.
• In his 2016-2017 annual report, the Commissioner recommends that the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care amend Regulation 515/09 to give the French language health planning entities a larger role in planning health services in French, particularly in relation to the integrated health services plans to be produced by the LHINs.
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner reports directly to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Its principal mandate is to ensure compliance with the French Language Services Act in the delivery of government services.
TORONTO, August 28, 2017 — The French Language Services Commissioner, Mr. François Boileau, welcomes with great interest the planning board’s report on the establishment of a French-language university in Ontario.
“I would like to congratulate Ms. Dyane Adam and the members of the planning Board for completing a high-caliber and a totally turnkey report for the government in such a short time. I hope that the government welcomes the recommendations of this comprehensive study, because they will certainly pave the way to the establishment of a Francophone institution dedicated to excellence and innovation.” states Mr. Boileau.
The establishment of a postsecondary institution is of utmost importance to Francophone and Francophile communities of the Southwest and the rest of the province. This is clearly reflected across many reports and research studies in recent decades. The publication in 2012 of the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner’s report, No access, no future, demonstrates how the establishment of French-language postsecondary programs was of utmost importance then and how it is still relevant today.
Faced with a lack of access to quality French-language postsecondary education in Central and Southwestern Ontario, it became more than essential to increase French-language programs in areas where the Francophone population is growing rapidly and where French-language offerings are particularly limited.
Another critical point in the report is the transition towards a French-language educational continuum from secondary to postsecondary. In fact, French-language postsecondary education contributes significantly to the sustainability of the Franco-Ontarian community.
“Colleges and universities are an integral part of the educational continuum and play a crucial role in the education of future professionals who are bilingual and Francophone and therefore, in the longer term, in the well-being of the province and in the competitiveness of its economy. In the minority context of the French language, they also offer an incentive to elementary and secondary students and their parents to commit to an education in French, from the outset.” adds Commissioner Boileau.
In the context of developing a new organizational identity, the report highlights a unique feature: the creation of a Francophone hub, which is in itself truly innovative. A “hub” like this will certainly set it apart across the province and internationally. The shared vision is inspiring and motivating because it refers to an approach that goes beyond education by creating opportunities for fruitful exchanges and collaborations with other institutions.
According to Mr. François Boileau, “The Université de l’Ontario français is a genuine investment in the future of Francophones from a cultural, economic, and social point of view, which will undoubtedly contribute to the prosperity of the province and of Canada.”
Through its uniqueness and its governance by and for Francophones, the institution will fulfill all of the conditions required for it to be designated under the French Language Services Act.
“This is an important message for Francophones. Despite the fact that the designation under the French Language Services Act seems logical to some, it is an excellent idea to designate the institution and that this also is included in the recommendations before it is even established. I am very eager to work with the university when the time comes.” states Mr. Boileau.
Quick facts
• In Ontario, there are three bilingual universities (as well as their affiliated and federated institutions), and 19 that offer courses and university programs in French or partially in French.
• In their respective reports entitled No access, no future and Moving forward, the Commissioner and the Expert Panel on French-Language Postsecondary Education both recommended that the government establish a new secretariat to determine the need for postsecondary educational services and programs for the Francophone population in Central-Southwestern Ontario.
• In 2015-2016, about 29% of the total cohort of Francophone students from French-language school boards came from the CSO.
• It is estimated that almost half of Ontario’s Francophone population will live in the Central-Southwest of the province by 2020. Of all the Francophone communities in Ontario, the one in the Central-Southwest has the highest growth rate.
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner reports directly to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and its primary mandate is to ensure that the delivery of government services complies with the French Language Services Act.
TORONTO, August 21, 2017 — In a brief submitted to the Minister of Francophone Affairs, the Honorable Marie-France Lalonde, the Commissioner of French Language Services, Mr. François Boileau, reminds her Ministry and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that there has been a breach of the French Language Services Act with regard to the revocation of the designation of Penetanguishene General Hospital.
“The process required under the French Language Services Act was not respected, and the government players are therefore in breach of the Act. This situation perfectly illustrates the impact that the lack of accountability and compliance verification has on the offering of French-language services: these Ministries were not thorough and the patients were the ones who suffered. It is unfortunate that Francophone patients are prejudiced and are not able to access health care services in their language,” states the Commissioner Boileau.
Before eliminating the designated services offered by Penetanguishene General Hospital, the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network was required to ensure that all reasonable measures were taken to comply with the Act. The Ministry of Francophone Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care also had the obligation to respect the process required under the Act for revoking a designation.
Commissioner Boileau emphasizes that “this overdue public consultation serves no purpose because it is taking place nine years after Penetang Hospital’s designated services were eliminated. Also, the mere fact that Georgian Bay General Hospital was ordered to request its designation is not a ‘reasonable measure’ within the meaning of the Act.”
In his brief, the Commissioner also recommended a series of specific measures to remedy this situation, and to prevent future violations. Among other things, these recommendations seek to improve accountability, organizational efficiency, and the prompt identification of compliance deficiencies in the delivery of French-language services.
Quick facts
• The Office of the Commissioner received 19 complaints about the closure of Penetanguishene General Hospital, all filed in November 2014.
• According to Ontario Regulation 398/93, Penetanguishene General Hospital is designated under the French Language Services Act for admitting, reception, ambulatory services, people systems, and business office services. It was not until July 2017 that these same services were designated at Georgian Bay General Hospital.
• Penetanguishene General Hospital closed its doors in March 2016.
• At the end of 2016, the Office received nine new complaints about the inadequate delivery of the designated services by Georgian Bay General Hospital.
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner reports directly to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and its primary mandate is to ensure that the delivery of government services complies with the French Language Services Act.
