Access to French services at Sudbury courthouse increasing, province says

Ontario's Attorney General and Minister of Francophone Affairs says changes are being made to the court system in Sudbury.

Caroline Mulroney says a new initiative is underway to improve access to front-line services in French in the Sudbury courthouse.

"So from the moment you enter the courthouse, signs will be visible and you'll be able to have, the idea is to have a seamless experience in French in the courthouse," she said.

"We've got sort of a year-long pilot program while we develop the right approach, the right initiatives to meet the demands, the needs and the concerns of people in Sudbury."

The province says a similar initiative has been rolled out in other areas of Ontario.

"This plan builds on the important and successful work that was piloted and eventually implemented in Ottawa," Heather Smith, Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice said.

"The Superior Court is pleased to partner with the Ontario government to ensure accessible and appropriate justice services for the Francophone community in Sudbury."

The province says it is working to increase French-language services across the province.

But a professor at Laurentian University wonders about the timing.

Serge Miville specializes in Francophone history. He says the attorney general's announcement in Sudbury is simply putting in place the recommendations in a 2012 report – put forward while Dalton McGuinty was premier – with regards to access to French-language services in provincial courts.

He says although it is a positive measure, it falls short when considering the larger picture.

"Taking into considering this government's cuts in November 2018, this token gesture simply cannot repair the damage that has been done," he says. "This is in no way remediation for the abolition of the Commissioner of French-language services as an independent institution and for the de-funding of the French-language university. The April budget will be the real test of Caroline Mulroney's abilities to defend Franco-Ontarian interests and to reestablish confidence between the community and the government."

The Progressive Conservatives deliver the budget April 11th.