News Releases    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 14, 2005

Casselman asks Liberals for resolution on closed francophone college

TORONTO: OPSEU President Leah Casselman has asked Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Mary Anne Chambers to intervene to resolve the fate of the Toronto region’s French college, currently before the courts.

Collège des Grands Lacs (CGL) opened in 1995 and closed in 2001. Judicial review hearings on the legality of the closing were held in January 2005. A decision is pending.

Unlike the other two French colleges, CGL served about 50-70 per cent students of colour. In some francophone schools in Greater Toronto 80 per cent of the students are of African origin.

CGL received only about 10 per cent of the initial funding for Ontario’s three French colleges. “Given the demographics involved, our members doubt that this inequity is a coincidence.”

“When the Liberals were elected, we never suspected you 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, defending in English a decision that had such severe impact on equity-seeking groups,” Casselman said in the letter.

“We’d like to give the Liberals a chance to do the right thing before the courts force them to,” Casselman said.

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For information: David Cox 416-443-8888 x 8314

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March 11, 2005 OPEN LETTER

Hon. Mary Anne Chambers
Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities,
3rd Floor, Mowat Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto ON M7A 1L2

Dear Minister,

I am writing to ask for a meeting with you on an issue of great importance, not only to my members, but also to francophone community groups in Toronto.

More than three years ago, your ministry approved the closing of one of the three French colleges established in our province, Collège des Grands Lacs (CGL). Unlike the other two French colleges, CGL served about 50-70 per cent students of colour, reflecting the cultural diversity of the region. And, unlike the other two colleges, CGL was never adequately supported by the ministry. Instead of establishing a fully-functioning college like Boréal and La Cité, Toronto area French speakers -- 500,000 in number according to Statistics Canada -- were given a “college without walls.” One wonders at the different and likely discriminatory treatment of this client group.

When CGL was closed, OPSEU members on the faculty and support staff lost their employment and the community lost its college. OPSEU filed many grievances, most still outstanding. We asked for a court injunction to stop the closing of CGL. Later, we demanded a judicial review on the basis of the principles of minority rights in the Charter as set out in the Hôpital Montfort case. We await a decision.

When the Liberals were elected, we never suspected you 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, defending in English a decision that had such severe impact on equity-seeking groups.

Although your ministry touts Boréal’s new campus in the south, its presence sends the disturbing signal that the ministry does not trust the diverse francophone community of this region to run its own college.

Recently, members of the community have approached OPSEU in the hope we could work together with you to right this injustice. Accordingly I hope to be able to meet with you in the near future.

Yours truly,

(Signed)

Leah Casselman, President
Ontario Public Service Employees Union

Cc: Paddy Musson, Chair, OPSEU College-A Division Executive;
Janice Hagan, Chair, OPSEU College–S. Division Executive;
Suresh Paul, OPSEU Provincial Human Rights Committee;
Garner Liverpool, OPSEU Workers of Colour Caucus;
Gilles Bisson, MPP, Timmins-James Bay;
Darnace Tourou, CAAFT;
Mikhael Missakabo, groupe Notre College;
Julie Gigliotti, OPSEU Local 272;
Fernand Bégin, OPSEU Francophone Caucus;
Miriam Edelson, OSPEU Equity Unit