Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a very important day for the province of Ontario and many of the constituents in my riding. Today, September 25, is Franco-Ontarian Day. September 25th is the anniversary of the first raising of the Franco-Ontarian flag in 1975.
There are close to 600,000 francophones in Ontario, the largest French-speaking community outside the province of Quebec.
The Government of Canada, our government, supports linguistic minorities, as demonstrated by our investment of more than $1.1 billion in the roadmap for Canada’s official languages, 2013-2018.
This government also supported the creation of Unique FM community radio station as a result of my efforts and those of the current Minister of Industry.
My two terms on the board of directors of TVOntario resulted in the French network, TFO.
As an Ontarian of French-speaking heritage, I want to thank the Franco-Ontarian community for their strong contribution to making Canada strong, proud, and free.