Mr. Speaker, today we got some disturbing news about Laurentian University in Sudbury and the future of French-language education in Canada. The university is poised to eliminate around 60 programs in a bid to avoid bankruptcy, and programs for francophones are expected to be hit especially hard. Once again, the French language and francophone institutions are the first to be sacrificed in Canada.
The Bloc Québécois wants to reiterate its support for Franco-Ontarians and their ongoing struggle to protect their language. The ability to study in one's own language is a fundamental right. Young people in northern Ontario's large francophone community deserve to have access to high-quality services without being forced to move to Ottawa or Quebec.
The Minister of Official Languages needs to send a clear message today to all francophones outside Quebec. She must prove that her government is prepared to walk the talk, in light of its sudden interest in protecting French.