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Economic Statement of the Ford Government

Dear members,

On November 15, in its fall economic statement, the Ford government announced cuts affecting post-secondary education and independent government watchdogs. Among them, the decisions infringing upon the rights of Franco-Ontarians are of particular concern for the University of Ottawa community.

The APUO strongly denounces these decisions and echoes the calls of the Franco-Ontarian community for their immediate reversal. The Office of the Commissioner of French Language Services and the Université de l’Ontario français are the result of long struggles on the part of Ontario’s Francophones.

In the current context of austerity, we are concerned that possible cuts in funding for colleges and universities could have an impact on the availability of French-language courses and programs at the University of Ottawa. We intend to work with the Central Administration in order to make sure that the University of Ottawa fully exercise its mandate to “preserve and develop French culture in Ontario”, as set out in section 4c of the University of Ottawa Act (1965), and comply with the Ontario French Language Services Act.

As a bilingual union in Ontario, the APUO stands in solidarity with the Franco-Ontarians’ struggles for justice.