TORONTO – A French-language university is one step closer to reality in Ontario as the Liberal government says it will introduce legislation to create one.
The provincial government is accepting key recommendations from a report by the French-language University Planning Board.
The location isn’t yet determined, but the university would be intended to serve central and southwestern Ontario, the areas with the fastest growing Francophone populations.
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Ontario is home to 611,500 Francophones.
Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews calls the announcement a tremendous step forward, saying it will provide access to high-quality French-language university education.
The government says the university would be the first of its kind in the province, though there are currently two publicly funded French-language colleges and nine universities at which students can study in French.
Francophone Affairs Minister Marie-France Lalonde says Francophone culture and the French language have always been essential to Ontario’s identity and prosperity.
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