Jack MacLaren, MPP for Carleton Mississippi Mills
There is matter that I would bring to your attention. Although it is not your concern politically, it is a matter that concerns us, the people of Ontario. I refer to the extent to which Francophones have quietly, but resolutely, insinuated themselves into the political and social fabric of Ontario, and the staggering costs associated with that process.
We recently assembled a list of some of the Francophone organizations operating in Ontario, and are in the process of determining the costs to Ontario taxpayers to fund these agencies and organizations. We do not expect the number to be insignificant.
The list, attached, is impressive and exceeds anything we might have imagined. I do not expect you to read it, but merely leafing through it, leaves one with the impression that Francophones have been very active over the past several decades, building, with public funding, a solid infrastructure of unilingual Francophone schools, community centres, agencies, and their very own television network.
And now, with their unchallenged power and influence throughout Ontario, Francophones confidently fly their fleur-de-lis flag fly above our Ontario flag and the Canadian flag - in contravention of federal legislation. They are also demanding that we build more French-language universities to serve francophones - and anyone else who will study in the French language. Despite the fact that about a quarter of Earth's population speaks English, and the vast majority of global commerce is conducted in English, Ontario's Francophones demand that we immerse our children in French-language studies - where is the wisdom? Is there a politician with the courage to stand and object? Such a principled individual has yet to step forward.
Francophones are treated extremely well under the sheltering FLSA, a circumstance that is not replicated for Anglophones and the English language in Quebec. In Quebec, we are daily denigrated, despised, and physically mistreated. We shudder when we hear of yet another Anglophone being shoved about and shouted at while seeking medical treatment in a Quebec hospital.
Canadians are largely unaware of Francophone activities outside Quebec's borders; our focus tends to be on Quebec's obsessive dalliance with its own nationhood. However, some of us are aware of, and deeply concerned for, the long-term viability of English Ontario.
Mr. MacLaren, we do not deny Francophones a rightful place in Ontario, but we do insist that they earn their way rather than rely exclusively on extensive, and expensive, legislative interventions by municipal, provincial and federal politicians acting on their behalf. We must ask ourselves why we feel obligated to yield to Francophone demands for ever greater levels of funding for more programs that serve only to anger us and aggravate Ontario's serious indebtedness.
Francophones insist that such funding is necessary to prevent their culture from being assimilated. Our response is simple: if the Francophone culture is vigorous and vibrant, it will survive on its own merits - as do sundry Asian and European cultures in regions scattered across North America. If Francophone culture is otherwise, no amount of public funding will invigorate it. We cannot do for them with cash what they are unable to do for themselves.
There is, of course, the need to live with the realities of official bilingualism. As it currently functions, OB is essentially a dictat that promotes, protects, and preserves the French language and culture at the expense of the English language and Canadian culture. OB is not an intelligent route to national unity; it is, in fact, an act that divides the nation more effectively than any legislation since conscription.
We cannot afford to coddle folks who simple refuse to do for themselves. Let Francophones do what the rest of us do; let them earn their way.
Gerry Porter
Ottawa
