NDP Leader calls on province to fund French university in Sudbury

French university decision shortsighted; NDP says Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles is calling on the province to reverse course and announce it will fund a French university in Sudbury.

Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles says the province’s decision not to fund Université de Sudbury was short-sighted and wrong and called on the province and Premier Doug Ford to reverse course.

Her comments came during a tour of Sudbury this week and following articles from both Le Droit and TFO that showed the Conservatives denied its funding for a standalone French university despite the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board’s recommendation that the project go forward.

“The demand for more higher education in French has existed in northern Ontario for over 50 years,” said Stiles.

“A demand to which Mr. Ford and his Conservative government have said no, over and over and over.”

Stiles addressed the media alongside Sudbury-area MPPs Jamie West, France Gélinas and Mushkegowuk-James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin.

“To add salt to the wound, the government buried the report that shows Université de Sudbury meets – and in some cases, exceeds – the criteria to create a standalone French university,” said Stiles.

CTV News reached out to the Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop to comment, particularly on revelations in Le Droit’s article that the government originally approved the proposal.

Those revelations were the result of a Freedom of Information request.

The ministry confirmed the existence of the report and the recommendation, but said figures show existing French universities in Ontario have low enrolment.

Exisiting French universities have low enrolment

“Over the past five years, domestic enrolment at French-language universities in Ontario has remained low,” the statement said.

“Université de l’Ontario français and Univesité de Hearst have low domestic enrolment. In 2021-2022, they had 61 and 17 domestic students respectively.”

“We’re here for our Francophone community – period,” West said.

“They want their voices heard, they want this university to be successful and they want to be able to study in their chosen fields in Sudbury. It is their right to do so and I will always stand with them.”

“The Francophone community is united,” Gélinas said.

“We want the University of Sudbury to be a university for, by and with francophones in the North.”

“Mr. Ford, Ms. Dunlop – we are a tenacious group and we don’t take no for an answer,” said Joanne Gervais, of L’Association Canadienne Francaise de L’Ontario.

Gervais said there is plenty of evidence to support the need for an institution in the city, adding she wonders “if the government even looked.”

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