A day of action is being planned to protect French language rights in Ontario.
This as one of Doug Ford's own party members sides with the Francophone community and against her own government.
It's an unusual move and probably not a politically wise one; to break ranks with your own party. But that's just what the MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell has done, joining the ever-growing protest over cuts to French language services in Ontario.
It's rehearsal day for the Théatre du Trillium, one of four theatre companies that calls La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins on King Edward Avenue home, ahome that is being threatened, though, they say, by Doug Ford's decision to cancel a $2.9 million dollar grant that the previous Liberal government had promised.
“The message is that I'm not sure the francophone community deserves the attention and money it should be getting,” says Jean Lalande, with La Nouvelle Scène, a theatre centre for Francophones in Ottawa.
It's a message that is resonating with the 600-thousand Francophones in Ontario, on the heels of Ford's announcement that he was eliminating the French Language services commissioner and cancelling plans for a French university to help balance the books.
But the conservative MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell had her own message on this.
In a Facebook post last night, Amanda Simard wrote that Franco-Ontarians have an ally in her.
"I read somewhere that MPP Simard might be upset," she wrote. "Wrong. I am definitely upset."...adding "We need to evaluate where we are and what we must do. I am with you.”
“I was very happy to hear Madame Simard coming out,
says Carol Jolin with the Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’Ontario, “She spoke with her heart and her values and she stuck with them.”
Today, the francophone association in Ontario said it is mobilizing resources to convince the Ford government to reverse its decisions or face a legal challenge in court.
“We feel betrayed, we were lied to and we feel like second class citizens,” added Jolin.
The political fight is already underway. There’s a protest planned for Ottawa at the Human Rights Monument on Friday afternoon. On a larger scale, December 1 is being called a day of action with more than 40 protests planned right across this province.
Ottawa's Mayor said this city is backing the fight.
“This is worrying for the city of Ottawa,” Mayor Jim Watson said, “We have a large francophone population.”
Simard, by the way, is the parliamentary secretary to Caroline Mulroney, the Minister for Ontario's Francophone Affairs.
The Finance Minister today was asked whether Simard would be stripped of her duties for speaking out; he said she's a strong voice and they look forward to working with her.
