The AFO’s Political Action
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. It has a bottom-up structure. AFO members create political positioning for AFO, whether at its Annual General Meeting, during consultations leading to studies, reports and white papers, or through decisions by the board of directors.
Unifier of the Franco-Ontarian community, AFO works mainly on a provincial level. However, AFO is also working on files with Ontario specificities with the government of Canada.
As the spokesperson for the Franco-Ontarian community, AFO is mainly involved in 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 cut across 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
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.
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.
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 establishes 11 measures to achieve the set goals of the overall findings.
Description
The Francophone mediatic scene is evolving quickly to 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.
Description
Similarly to the rest of the country, the population is aging. However, the Franco-Ontarians’ aging population faces more challenges than the rest of the Franco-Ontarian citizens. The White Paper on the Aging of Francophones in Ontario offers recommendations to improve the wellness conditions for the aging Francophones in Ontario.
Memorandums
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.
Studies and Reports
AFO carries out several studies and reports on subjects important to Franco-Ontarians.
Agreements
AFO works in partnership and cooperates with several other organizations, both French and English, to carry out its mandate. Occasionally, AFO and other organizations decide to formalize their relationship into memorandums of understanding.
Other documents
Gains
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 3 years
Unveiling of the model of the Franco-Ontarian monument at Queen's Park
Clarification of the role of French language health planning entities
Political Contacts
If you have any other inquiries about AFO’s political work, you can reach Bryan Michaud – AFO’s Political analyst – by phone at 613-744-6649, ext; 130 or by email at : bmichaud@monassemblee.ca