The Ontario New Democrats have spoken out in support of the "urgent need" to have a Francophone university created in Sudbury, despite claims by the current Ontario government that such a facility is not warranted and “does not reflect the current demand and enrolment trends."
In a one-hour online news conference with Ontario opposition leader Marit Stiles, the NDP vowed to continue the fight to have the Université de Sudbury become a full Francophone university.
The school was one of three formerly federated universities operating on Laurentian University’s campus.
The previous agreement that had three universities (Thorneloe, Huntington, Université de Sudbury) as part of the LU umbrella was terminated in April of 2021 during Laurentian's financial insolvency process under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).
As that was happening, Université de Sudbury announced that it had plans to return to its roots and establish itself as a standalone French-language university.
This would require appropriate funding from the Ontario government which the Université de Sudbury subsequently applied for.
The Ontario government responded to the funding request last Friday, just hours prior to the kickoff of the Canada Day weekend.
"The proposal from the Université de Sudbury, including the request for funding to create a standalone French-language university, does not reflect the current demand and enrolment trends, especially given the already existing capacity of post-secondary institutions to offer French-language programs in the Greater Sudbury area and across Ontario," said the statement from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
In the news conference held July 6, NDP leader Stiles said her party had long been advocating for a standalone Francophone university. Thursday, she made it a promise for the 2026 Ontario election.
“We will continue to push for it now, and we will make it happen when we form the government in 2026.”
Also speaking out on the issue was NDP Francophone Affairs critic MPP Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk—James Bay) who said the government announcement was "a slap in the face" to the provincial Francophone community and entirely disrespectful.
Bourgouin said Ontario Francophones faced other challenges to their language and culture in the past and did not "bow down" to Queen's Park.
"So if you think we're going to bow down to this announcement, the government I believe has something coming," said Bourgouin.
Bourgoin also made reference to the federal funding of nearly $2 million provided to Université de Sudbury last year, which he said only adds to the urgency for the project. Bourgoin said the Ontario Conservatives are not fooling anyone.
“The reasons for the funding refusal, which comes after the federal government contributed $2 million to the project, do not fool anyone. The demand for higher education in French has existed in Northern Ontario for over a hundred years,” said Bourgouin.
“We will be listening and organizing in the community this summer and collecting signatures to show Doug Ford and his cabinet what Franco-Ontarians want and need.”
Bourgoin also encouraged Ontarians to take a stand by signing a petition calling on the Doug Ford Conservatives to provide funding.
Thursday's press conference was joined by Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas and Sudbury MPP Jamie West, who both spoke of the importance of higher education for the Francophone community in Northern Ontario, regardless of the presence of the Universite de Hearst and the French language university in Toronto.
Len Gillis is a reporter at Sudbury.com.