There are definitely principles that could justify a lawsuit. However, I can't venture an opinion on its chances of success in either the Office of the Commissioner case or that of the university. The decision would be up to the courts.
One thing is certain. Both the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada have confirmed that the protection of francophone minorities in Canada is an underlying constitutional principle. I know I'm repeating myself, but I'm doing it because this is fundamentally important. Everyone thought this was an established gain, which makes this kind of decision all the more surprising and shocking.
Based on that principle and the judgment in the Monfort Hospital case, in which the Court of Appeal for Ontario held that the elimination of a fundamental institution actually altered or eroded an entire community, we could definitely advance legal arguments in support of the two cases you mentioned.
Going back to the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, you really must bear in mind the exact nature of the problem in that case. First of all, the government wanted to abolish the office, which was established barely 10 years ago. Then it decided it wouldn't abolish it but would attach it instead to the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman. The government claims we have no grounds for concern because the commissioner will have the same powers. However, as you recently heard, there's a problem: Mr. Dubé, the ombudsman, confirmed that his role was to investigate, not advance or defend the Franco-Ontarian community. Remember that the French language services commissioner had two roles: to investigate on his own initiative or in response to a complaint and to promote French-language services, in addition to advising and monitoring the government on such matters. We're concerned about what we see in the bill as an erosion of the commissioner's mandate.