QUEEN’S PARK — In light of federal bridge funding to continue l’Université de l’Ontario français planning over the next year, MPP France Gélinas released the following statement:
“We are pleased to learn that the l’Université de l’Ontario français will continue its hub development with a small grant from the federal government. This does not mean that the future of the francophone university is assured. This funding helps l’Université de l’Ontario français stay afloat for another year, but does not guarantee the long-term sustainability of the project.
It remains nearly certain that Doug Ford has stopped the university from opening its doors to students in 2020 — hurting the dreams and impacting the futures of thousands of Ontario students. When Doug Ford and Caroline Mulroney committed to this project, they were making things up. Yet again, they showed that we can’t trust a word they say.
Since this is a provincial responsibility, we are asking Ford, Mulroney and the Conservative government to reverse their cuts to the university’s funding. Education in French is the right of Ontario’s francophone community — and it’s also a smart move, because investing in education and opportunities for the next generation of Ontarians is among the best investments the province can make.”