Canadian Heritage Submits its Offer to Ontario's Francophone Community
OTTAWA, October 25, 1996 The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps, today announced the federal government's proposal to provide financial support to Ontario's Francophone community, represented by the Coalition pour le développement et l'épanouissement de la communauté franco-ontarienne et des minorités raciales francophones de l'Ontario.This offer was submitted by Ms. Copps' Parliamentary Secretary, the MP for Restigouche-Chaleur, Guy H. Arseneault, in the presence of the MP for Ottawa-Vanier, Mauril Bélanger.
The proposal would bring the total funding granted to Ontario's Francophone community, including amounts already paid out, to $18,659,671 over the term of the agreement.
The purpose of the proposed multi-year agreement (1995-1996 to 1998-1999) is to enable Ontario's Francophone community to make decisions about its own development and to be able to achieve goals that it has set for itself and which reflect the needs of its members. All the other official-language minority communities in Canada have already signed similar agreements with the federal government.
The funding provided in this agreement is in addition to the financial assistance provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage to the Government of Ontario to set up a network of French-language colleges (La Cité collégiale, Collège Boréal and Collège des Grands Lacs), as well as the Department's continuing support for TFO, the French channel of TV Ontario.
The Coalition pour le développement et l'épanouissement de la communauté franco-ontarienne et des minorités raciales francophones de l'Ontario has until December 5, 1996 to reach a decision on the government's offer.
Funding for this project was provided for in the March 1996 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. This initiative is an example of how this government is prioritizing its spending so that it can better serve Canadians by making efficient use of their tax dollars.
Information:
Julia Arnsby
Press Secretary
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-7788
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