Fact Check: Ford’s Conservatives don’t care about Franco-Ontarians

TORONTO - Premier Doug Ford and Minister Caroline Mulroney told tales to the media on Tuesday, claiming they cared about the Francophone community and did not mean to blindside them with a late announcement the day before Canada Day long weekend informing Ontario that the Conservatives were saying “no” to the long-overdue French-language university in Sudbury.

Planning for the university was well underway before Ford scrapped it, citing that the government was not in a financial position to support the university. At the time, Mulroney said, “I will continue to be a tireless advocate for the university, by and for francophones, so that when we are in a position to proceed with the build, we will be ready to go.”

Ford's decision caused so much outrage that it led a Conservative MPP to quit Ford's caucus.

Fast forward to 2023, when Ford's Conservatives are sitting on $22 billion in “excess funds,” while the French university only requires $10 million from this government to go ahead.

Now, Mulroney claims there is no demand for such a school, despite a business case so strong that the federal government has contributed financially to the project.

It's clear Ford’s Conservatives will make up any excuse for why he keeps saying “no” to Sudbury’s French-language university from opening its doors. One must wonder about the true reasons behind yet another cancellation by this government.

Let's not forget that the Ford Conservatives also denied Francophones health care services in their first language throughout the pandemic. In 2021-2022 the French Language Services Commissioner reported a 15% increase in related cases compared to the previous year, putting Minister of Francophone Affairs Caroline Mulroney in the record books.

In Mulroney's own words, "Doug can't get the job done.”