THE AFO, YOUR POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

​​THE AFO IS COMMITTED TO 7 PRIORITY ISSUES

The Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO) is the voice of the Franco-Ontarian community. The organization is characterized by a bottom-up structure. The AFO’s members create its political positioning—whether it is during its Annual General Meeting, or during consultations leading to studies, reports and white papers, or through decisions made by the board of directors.

A great unifier of the Franco-Ontarian community, the AFO works mainly on a provincial level. However, the AFO is also involved in certain Ontario-related projects with the Government of Canada.
As the spokesperson for the Franco-Ontarian community, the AFO is mainly committed to seven issues: health, education, employability, communications, immigration, language rights, and arts and culture.

POLITICAL DOCUMENTS

Position statements

The Position Statements document brings together policy proposals adopted by and for AFO members. These proposals touch upon all seven of AFO’s core policy issues and are presented either at AFO’s Annual General Meeting, through consultations, or by its Board of Directors.

WHITE PAPERS

Health care in Ontario

DESCRIPTION

The healthcare system is of great importance to everyone. However, it contains flaws with regard to French language services in Ontario. The White Paper on French Language Health in Ontario is the result of several consultations and aims to inform the government of the state of Ontario’s healthcare system in order to make it more convenient for the Francophone population.

Francophone arts and culture in Ontario

DESCRIPTION

The Francophone artistic community is growing, but does not receive as much financial assistance from the government as necessary. The White Paper on Francophone Arts and Culture in Ontario offers an outlook on the Francophone’s Arts and Culture scene in order to empower it and ensure its development.

Francophone immigration in Ontario

DESCRIPTION

With Francophone immigration being crucial to the survival of the Francophone community, it is imperative to achieve the objectives set by the community and the government. The White Paper on Francophone Immigration in Ontario is the result of several consultations which established 11 measures to achieve the goals determined by the overall findings.

Francophone media in Ontario

DESCRIPTION

The Francophone media scene is quickly evolving on a larger scale. However, the media remain very important to the survival of the Francophone population of Ontario. The White Paper on Francophone Media offers recommendations for the government and the media themselves to ensure their long-term future.

White paper on Ontario’s aging francophone population

DESCRIPTION

Similarly to the rest of the country, the population is aging. However, the Franco-Ontarians’ aging population faces more challenges than the rest. The White Paper on the Aging of Francophones in Ontario offers recommendations to improve quality of life for aging Franco-Ontarians.

MEMORANDUMS

The AFO’s political briefs are documents that present the different perspectives of Franco-Ontarians on various issues and governmental policies. They also feature some recommendations resulting from consultations with the community.

• Brief submitted to Ontario’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs for the 2019 pre-budget consultations

More memorandums are available in French.

STUDIES AND REPORTS

PROVINCIAL LANGUAGE RIGHTS IN A TIME OF CRISIS
The state of French language services in Ontario

MINORITY LANGUAGE RIGHTS IN A TIME OF CRISIS (FEDERAL)
The state of French language services in Ontario

Risk, resilience, and rebuilding communities: The state of Ontario nonprofits three months into the pandemic

Ontario, Trade and the Advantages of English-French Bilingualism

Ontario open for business en français

More studies and reports are available in French.

AGREEMENTS

The AFO works in partnership and cooperates with several other organizations, both French and English, to carry out its mandate. Occasionally, the AFO and other organizations decide to formalize their relationship into memorandums of understanding.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE AFO, QCGN AND SANB

More agreements are available in French.

OTHER DOCUMENTS

Only available in French.

GAINS

2017-2018

• Restoration of core funding to the Ontario Trillium Foundation
• Addition of responsibility for French language services to an assistant deputy minister
• Creation of a second electoral district with a francophone majority at the provincial level in Ontario
• Creation of the Francophone Community Grants Program (FCGP)
• Funding from the governments of Canada and Ontario for the Place des Arts project in Sudbury
• Ontario Arts Council budget increase of $50 million over three years
• Unveiling of the model of the Franco-Ontarian monument at Queen’s Park
• Clarification of the role of French-language health planning entities

2018-2019

• Adoption of the federal-provincial-territorial action plan on francophone immigration
• New action plan for official languages
• Adoption of a French-language annex to the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement
• Establishment of a program to welcome new arrivals in Pearson airport in French
• Restoration of the Ministry of Francophone Affairs
• Implementation of a pilot project to improve the designation process under the French Language Services Act
• Nomination of a board of governors for the Université de l’Ontario français
• Organization of a provincial electoral debate in French
• Inauguration of the monument dedicated to Franco-Ontarians
• Creation of a position of Francophone Affairs advisor in the office of the Premier of Ontario

2019-2020

• Canada-Ontario agreement on the funding of the Université de l’Ontario français
• Investment in the Carrefour santé d’Orléans
• Health reform retaining the planning entities for health services in French and the advisory council of the Minister of Health
• Expansion of the “Access to Justice in French” pilot project taking place at the Sudbury courthouse
• Investments in healthcare and mental health in French in the provincial budget
• Tabling of Bill 182,  An Act to amend the Franco-Ontarian Emblem Amendment Act, 2001.

2020-2021

• Ontario Legislative Assembly broadcast of Government of Ontario media briefings on COVID-19 with simultaneous translation and captioning
• $4.5 million investment from FedDev in response to COVID-19
• Passage of Bill 182, Franco-Ontarian Emblem Amendment Act, 2020
• Investment of $500,000 to create an online economic network and to promote the Franco-Ontarian community
• PAFO adaptation to make it a support fund for COVID-19
• Accent on driver’s licenses