OTTAWA – The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA) du Canada is pleased with the announcement made this morning regarding the establishment of the new Language Rights Support Program (LRSP). The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, the Honourable James Moore, announced this morning that the University of Ottawa has been chosen to administer the new program and is actively laying the groundwork for the program to be in place before the end of the year.
FCFA wishes to convey to the University of Ottawa its sincere congratulations and the hope that the new program will be operational and ready to receive its first applications as soon as possible.
“For us Francophones and Acadians, this is a long-awaited program which will finally restore our ability to promote our language rights; unfortunately, even after 40 years of official recognition of French and English in Canada and 27 years after the adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, French-speaking Canadians must still all too often go to the courts to ensure their rights are respected,” says FCFA president Lise Routhier-Boudreau.
FCFA has been an active participant at every step of the development of this new program and has ensured that the LRSP will meet the needs of Francophones as closely as possible. The Fédération has namely contributed to the development of the mandates of both the institution responsible for the delivery of the program and the committee of experts responsible for assessing applications. Moreover, FCFA and its member associations submitted the names of some 15 candidates for the nine positions on this committee. “We have worked very hard, we have had good collaboration with the government, and at the end of the day we have a program that will serve our communities very well,” adds Ms. Routhier-Boudreau.
The LRSP will operate with an annual $1.5 million budget for the promotion and defence of language rights. This amount is double the budget that was dedicated to language rights under the Court Challenges Program.
FCFA is a national organization that includes the Francophone advocacy associations of nine provinces and the three territories, as well as ten national organizations. Its role is to defend and promote the rights and interests of French speakers outside Quebec.
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FCFA wishes to convey to the University of Ottawa its sincere congratulations and the hope that the new program will be operational and ready to receive its first applications as soon as possible.
“For us Francophones and Acadians, this is a long-awaited program which will finally restore our ability to promote our language rights; unfortunately, even after 40 years of official recognition of French and English in Canada and 27 years after the adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, French-speaking Canadians must still all too often go to the courts to ensure their rights are respected,” says FCFA president Lise Routhier-Boudreau.
FCFA has been an active participant at every step of the development of this new program and has ensured that the LRSP will meet the needs of Francophones as closely as possible. The Fédération has namely contributed to the development of the mandates of both the institution responsible for the delivery of the program and the committee of experts responsible for assessing applications. Moreover, FCFA and its member associations submitted the names of some 15 candidates for the nine positions on this committee. “We have worked very hard, we have had good collaboration with the government, and at the end of the day we have a program that will serve our communities very well,” adds Ms. Routhier-Boudreau.
The LRSP will operate with an annual $1.5 million budget for the promotion and defence of language rights. This amount is double the budget that was dedicated to language rights under the Court Challenges Program.
FCFA is a national organization that includes the Francophone advocacy associations of nine provinces and the three territories, as well as ten national organizations. Its role is to defend and promote the rights and interests of French speakers outside Quebec.
Information: Serge Quinty, Communications Director, FCFA du Canada
Tel.: (613) 241-7600 s.quinty@fcfa.ca