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A Sudbury-based organization supporting the creation of a French-language university in the North criticized the “ambiguous position” of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on the issue.

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“By supporting the creation of a University of Sudbury managed by, for and with Francophones, while consolidating Laurentian University’s status as a bilingual and tricultural university, the federal New Democrats are trying to have their cake. and to eat it too, ”said Denis Constantineau, spokesperson for the Coalition nord-ontarienne pour une university de langue française.

“It is clear, however, that by cutting 28 French-language programs, laying off several teachers and thus impoverishing the Francophone community, U Laurentienne has lost the confidence of Francophones,” Constantineau said in a statement. “There is only one acceptable option left, and that is the one proposed by the University of Sudbury.

While in Sudbury on August 28, Singh said that even though the University of Sudbury had an important mandate for bilingualism and access to higher education in French, “it is already so difficult for people. to access services in French (and) so difficult for young people to find a university to continue their studies in French, to drop an institution like (Laurentienne) and to see cuts in its programming, would be a blow devastating for Francophones across Ontario, but particularly in the North.

The coalition responded by writing to Singh two days later, saying that improvements to French-language university programs could not take place under Laurentian’s leadership. In its letter, the coalition wrote “it has been clear for decades that the best way to ensure the sustainability of French-language minority communities in Canada is for them to manage their own institutions, particularly those in the field of education. Your comments cast doubt on your support for this concept.

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In its September 6 response to the coalition, the party declared that it “will not abandon the vision of Laurentian University as a bilingual and tricultural institution either. In fact, we believe more universities should embrace this mandate.

The loss of confidence in Laurentian is not only the business of the Francophone community, the coalition said, citing a recent statement by the Tricultural Committee for University Education in Sudbury, made up of leaders of the Francophone, Indigenous and Anglophone communities. , who declared the administration and council of the Laurentians had “lost their legitimacy to speak or act in the name of aboriginal education, Franco-Ontarian education or arts education.”

“We invite you, Mr. Singh, to come back to Sudbury after the federal election,” added Constantineau. “We would love to meet with you and our colleagues on the Tricultural Committee to share our views with you in person. “

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