Statement by Lucille Collard, Amanda Simard and Kathleen Wynne, Members of Provincial Parliament, on the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on French-language minority education
Forimmediate release
June 12, 2020, OTTAWA – Following the decision of the Supreme Court ofCanada in favour of the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique(CSF) and the Fédération des parents francophones de la Colombie-Britannique(FPFCB) on the constitutional right to finance French-language minorityeducation, Lucille Collard, MLA for Ottawa-Vanier and Liberal critic for theAttorney General, Amanda Simard, MPP for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell and Liberalcritic for Francophone Affairs, and Kathleen Wynne, MPP for Don-Valley-West andLiberal critic for Education, issued the following statement:
“We would like to thank the Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) and theFédération des parents francophones de la Colombie-Britannique (FPFCB) for alltheir efforts, determination and hard work over the past ten years.
This is a historic day for French-language education across thecountry. The Supreme Court clearly stated that children studying in French orEnglish must receive the same quality of service and educational experience atschool. Regardless of the size of the Francophone population in a region, theCourt found that there was an obligation to ensure substantive equality in theeducational service provided. No matter where you are in Canada, you areentitled to a quality education in French.
Education is the cornerstone of the preservation of our language andculture. Each region must be able to maintain its Francophone cultural identityand have the necessary tools to do so. Quality education must therefore beaccessible in every corner of our country. The decision of the Supreme Court ofCanada sets an important precedent, not only for British Columbia but for allprovinces in Canada.
Our country is based on bilingualism, French being the language of oneof the two founding peoples. The right to a quality education in French is aconstitutional right, and every young francophone who wants to learn Frenchmust have access to it.
Our party protected and defended the rights of francophones. We createdthe first ministry of francophone affairs. We have supported the Université del'Ontario français project from the beginning and continue to support itsimplementation.”
For more information, contact:
Liam Roche
Special Assistant, Communications for Lucille Collard, MPP
613-981-5426
Liz Davidson
Executive Assistant to Amanda Simard, MPP
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