1. Language practices in a minority linguistic environment
Me François Boileau, French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario
Cardiff, May 17th 2017

2. Agenda Infographics – Francophonie in Ontario
The Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario
French Language Services Act
Putting the Act in Active
Engaging the governments and the citizens
Education continuum

3. Distribution of Francophone Population in Ontario

4. Francophone Population in Ontario

5. Place of Birth of Francophones in Ontario

6. Make the Act relevant for the citizens
Have the citizen at the heart of the Act
Putting the Act in Active
Education continuum
Engaging the governments and the citizens

7. The French Language Services Act
Its goal
Its interpretation
Its application
Its application :
Ministries and government agencies
Governmental service providers and third parties
Designated organizations under the FLSA (243)
Commissioner’s role: To ensure that they offer FLS in accordance with the Act
Designated areas
A designation guaranties rights to francophones living in a certain area to receive French Language Services from the Government of Ontario (ministries and agencies)
There are presently 26 designated areas in Ontario under the French Language Services Act
There is about 85% of the francophone population that reside in one of those 26 designated area
Since the Lalonde case back in 1997 [Lalonde c. Commission de restructuration des services de santé (Ontario)] the FLSA has a quasi-constitutional character. Therefore, FLS can not be neglected by government agencies, and have to be taken in account when modifications to services are made (closing of institutions, budget cuts, etc.).
30th anniversary

8. Putting the Act in Active
Acts and Regulations--» Efficient implementation
Pragmatic
Creation of spaces for the minorities
Workplaces
Cultural spaces
Recreational spaces
Education spaces
Family related spaces
Creation of symbols
The FLSA helps us in many facets. Unfortunately does not regulate the official language of work in Ontario.
How to make the Act more alive and active ? How to efficiently implement them ?
We have to be able to recognize the Acts within the citizens and the communities. If there are no signs of it being alive and present, it’s not working…
The delivery of services and designated positions are something different than the Official language of work in Ontario.

9. Education Continuum Disconnect between the levels of education
Early Childhood --» Elementary and secondary --» Postsecondary
The general population is growing older, and we need trained young adults to provide their care and services
Silver lining: Certain institutions give courses in French, but also use the English terms of the business. That gives students the opportunity to work in a bilingual environment.
The general population is growing older, and we need trained young adults to provide their care and services:
If we can’t provide proper training in their language, they go towards majority institutions, and after a certain time are no longer able to offer services in the minority language
Because of the lack of French postsecondary in French in Ontario, we are running out of opportunities to train and educate the younger generations

10. Engaging the Governments and the Citizens
All levels of government have committed to transform the delivery of services
Disengagement and devolution
Privatisation
Autoregulation
Offer of services by a third party
The danger of bilingual services or third parties (that operate mostly in the majority language) offering bilingual services: are they really bilingual ?

11. Engaging the Governments and the Citizens (cont’)
Minority communities must now become proactive
Be innovative and propose new solutions
Annual report – A shared engagement:
Recommendation #1: The Commissioner recommends that the Franco-Ontarian community take an active part in renewing the delivery of government services by proposing innovative, pragmatic, results-oriented means and methods to ensure its development.
Examples of francophones helping with the offer of services:
ACFOMI with the French Employment Resource Centre
Centre francophone of Thunder Bay
Bilingual Service Centers in Manitoba
ACFO Mille-Îles : they manage the French Employment Resource Centre. They’re able to offer bilingual services to employers and potential employees and assist them with they many needs (ex: assistance to write a resume, cover letter, access to career guidance, etc.)
Centre francophone of Thunder Bay : various community organizations came together to relocate and be physically all in the same building. This provides a ‘’one stop shop’’ and a location that now is the reference for various services. The types of services that can be found at his Centre are : services for women who are victims of violence, health care, adult training and courses.
Bilingual Service Centers in Manitoba : these centers offer bilingual services for the municipal level, the provincial level and federal level of government. Sometimes even Health services, employment services are available. They become the ‘’one stop shop ’’ for bilingual services.
It come down to active offer of services – Go to next slide …

12. Active offer of French Language Services
If there is no active offer = less demand = less offer
Key elements of active offer (as portrayed in our report from May of 2016):
Inform
First contact
Choice
Culturally appropriate
Comfort
Equal or equivalent quality
Important facts about active offer of FLS:
Franco-Ontarians in positions of vulnerability are hardest hit by absence of active offer of FLS
‘‘The absence of active offer has detrimental effects on the quality of the services offered, with sometimes tragic consequences in emergency or crisis situations. Francophone Ontarians in positions of vulnerability (the elderly, children, victim of physical or psychological violence, newcomers, people dealing with an authority figure – the justice system and children’s aid societies, for example – individuals who have mental or physical illnesses, social assistance recipients, and others) are hardest hit by this shortcoming, as the extensive testimony gathered during this study illustrates.’’
Shortcoming in the offer of service
‘‘There remains a significant shortcoming in the province’s language regime, and that shortcoming acts as a barrier to the full achievement of the objectives of the Act: the absence of active offer of there services to the Francophone population.’’
If active offer is not present (and prescribed), the default language will be the majority’s

13. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
- John F. Kennedy