March 5, 2005 OPEN LETTER
Hon. Madeleine Meilleur
Minister of Francophone Affairs,
4th Floor, Mowat Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto ON M7A 1C2
Minister,
More than three years ago, the Ontario government approved the closing of one of the three French colleges established in our province. Unlike the other two French colleges, College des Grands Lacs served a population that was 50-70 per cent students of colour. CGL was never adequately supported by
the Harris government and was subsequently allowed to be dismantled.
Was it a coincidence that the one French college that served a significant visible minority community was never adequately funded, and then was illegally closed in mid-semester? Our members do not think so.
When CGL was closed, OPSEU members on the faculty and support staff lost their employment and the community lost its college. OPSEU filed grievances. We asked for a court injunction to stop the closing, and later, demanded a judicial review on the basis of the principles of minority rights in the
Montfort case. We await a decision.
When the Liberals were elected, we never suspected they would continue to support the Harris government’s disastrous decision to close down CGL. Nor did we expect that your government would wish to be on the wrong side of a second landmark decision for francophone rights in Ontario.
In your capacity as minister responsible for the rights of francophones, please tell Premier McGuinty and the Minister of Colleges to re-establish a college in Toronto serving the 500,000 French speakers in the centre-south-west of Ontario.
Yours truly,
Leah Casselman, President
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Cc: Mary Anne Chambers, Minister of Colleges; Gilles Bisson, MPP; Darnace Tourou, CAAFT; Mikhael Missakabo, groupe Notre College; Julie Gigliotti, Local 272
