Report by ON French Language Services Commissioner finds Laurentian neglected obligations under FLSA

In a report investigating the cuts to Laurentian University’s French-language programs, French Language Services Commissioner Kelly Burke found that the university – as well as Ontario’s Ministry of Francophone Affairs and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities – had neglected their obligations under the French Language Services Act (FLSA) when choosing programs to cut during the financial restructuring process. Burke found that Laurentian had not consulted with the ministries before suspending or cutting French programs, which consequently impacted the Franco-Canadian community. The report includes 19 recommendations to address communication gaps, improve planning processes, and propose other initiatives to ensure that the situation is not repeated. The ministries and Laurentian accepted all of these recommendations and promised to report back on implementation progress. CBC| Ombudsman Ontario Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.