Apology for 1912 anti-French law important: Thibeault

Liberal MPP Glenn Thibeault is not impressed with NDP MPP Gilles Bisson's dismissal of a government apology for a century-old law banning French from elementary schools.

The province passed Regulation 17 in 1912, banning elementary schools from teaching French. It was a law that remained on the books until 1927.

Thibeault introduced a motion in the Ontario Legislature calling for an official apology from the Government of Ontario, calling it “an attack on the Franco-Ontarian community and a blow to the Ontario’s rich and diverse history.”

Premier Kathleen Wynne agreed, but media reports quoted Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson as saying the apology was “much ado about nothing” because the law had been repealed so long ago.

“It is disappointing that ... Bisson does not view the apology as important,” Thibeault said in a news release. “This is something our community has been asking for. While French schools are now recognized as essential in fostering and maintaining Franco-Ontarian culture and identity, that wasn’t always the case.

"We teach history so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, and part of the history includes Regulation 17."

Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas, an NDPer like Bisson, said she supported the apology as correcting a “historical injustice which francophones in Ontario have both suffered.”

However, the apology would have more meaning, Gélinas said, if it was backed by action to ensure services to Ontario's French-speaking community.

"According to the (the French Language Services Commissioner), the Liberal government of Ontario has still a lot to do when it comes to (ensuring) just and equitable access to public services in French,” Gélinas said in a release. “The elderly should not have to fear of not being understood when they arrive in the emergency room to receive health care to which they are entitled. Young Franco-Ontarians deserve to receive an education in their mother tongue. They have the right to receive this education, regardless of the region in which they live.”

Gélinas also mentioned the lack of a French-language university in the province, saying it's just as important to address current issues as it is to apologize for past mistakes.

“Access to all public services — in French, at any time — is essential to end discrimination against francophones in Ontario."