Blanchet mentions a “systemic francophobia” at the University of Ottawa

A recent report from the University of Ottawa which states “the emergence of a Francophobia” within the institution is a very obvious reason to withdraw the Court Challenges Program (CCP), according to the Bloc leader. Yves-Francois Blanchet.

“Are you dealing with systemic francophobia at the University of Ottawa?” Hasn’t this institution totally and irremediably disqualified itself from managing a program that serves to protect minorities while the French minority at the University of Ottawa is seriously discriminated against? ” asked Mr. Blanchet during a press briefing in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The rector of the University of Ottawa, Jacques Frémont, had entrusted to the vice-rector International and Francophonie, Sanni Yaya, this spring, the task of consulting Francophones on campus in the wake of the anti-Quebec remarks of the controversial Professor Amir Attaran. There followed a report published in August, but passed under the radar so far, which draws up worrying findings within the institution.

The document, entitled “Renewal of the Francophonie at the University of Ottawa: a collective responsibility”, gathered comments from more than 400 participants during the consultations.

“Some still perceive the French fact at the University of Ottawa as a luxury and the functioning of the institution would be marked by multiple incidents where the rights of Francophones at best arouse indifference and are the subject of various mockery, and at worst, are outright flouted in certain circles, ”one can read in a summary document from Vice-Rector Yaya’s office.

“Several have spoken of the emergence of a Francophobia which, according to them, seems to take its ease, to describe incidents which are repeated more and more frequently on campus. Clearly, the community has the feeling that the Francophonie is sometimes the object of a certain hostility. […] For them, the stake goes beyond the only linguistic question ”, we add, without mentioning concrete examples.

The participants also raised concerns about new professors hired without fluency in French, favorable prejudices against researchers having studied “in Anglo-Saxon institutions”, a reduced offer of courses in French which penalizes students. French-speaking students and internal communications sometimes distributed in English only.

“Although French is an integral part of the history of the University of Ottawa and that Francophones are at the origin of the creation of the institution, in the opinion of several participants, the French language has been relegated in the background in the architecture and the very functioning of the University ”, we add by way of conclusion.

the Bloc Quebecois has been asking for months that the Court Challenges Program, reinstated in 2017, at the University of Ottawa be withdrawn and this report makes it “even more demanding”, argued Mr. Blanchet. Press revealed that the Department of Canadian Heritage, for its part, had not yet decided on the fate of the PCJ and the possible extension of the agreement with the Ottawa institution.

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