A “terre de pierre, de forêts et de froid,” (a land of rock, forest and cold) as Franco-Ontarian poets and Laurentian University alumni once wrote, Sudbury in Ontario’s north has long been the focal point of important socio-cultural movements in Francophone Ontario’s history.
And none more than “la Laurentienne,” as we affectionately call our university in French, which this year marks its 60th year: a nascent CANO, the revolutionary Franco-Ontarian folk-pop collective that gave us many of our artistic institutions; the first ever Nuit sur l’étang, that “folie collective d’un peuple en party” (“the collective madness of a people at a party”) held at the auditorium of our very own Fraser Building; to the co-creation of the Franco-Ontarian flag by an intrepid group of young people over coffee with a professor at the Great Hall; and support that led to the creation of the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, an institution that stages plays that bring us together and whose content reflects our identity.
Laurentian has a rich tradition as an incubator of talent in Ontario’s north and elsewhere.
We have also been a beacon of French-language education in Ontario, offering a range of programs that have supported the ambitions and aspirations of the young francophones who have marked our communities, our province, our country. We are the first bilingual university recognized under the French Language Services Act and among only a few institutions that offer programs in French in Ontario.
Much ink has been spilled over news that admissions to 17 of our programs with persistently low-enrolment, including 9 French-language programs, have been suspended for fall 2020. But is this a “slaughter” of French-language programs, as qualified by some? The “decline in educational offerings in French Ontario,” announced by others?
It is important to understand that these admissions suspensions are part of the natural cycle of renewal that occurs in universities over time, and that we continue to offer programs in the disciplines that have been affected by this announcement. Laurentian must reinvent itself: we are, after all, the institution that has created innovative and popular French-language programs, such as Droit et justice, Administration des affaires, Orthophonie et Zoologie.
It is also essential to note that students currently enrolled in these programs will be able to complete their studies and will not be affected by these changes. We are further working closely with them to support them and make other appealing options available to them.
As we celebrate our history, we must also look to our future and to Laurentian’s next 60 years. Our strategic plan and our new academic plan (approved last June) aims to renew our programs and are committed to ensure a dynamic francophone space at Laurentian. We are looking in particular at the enrichment of our programs in French, as well as improvements to the possibilities for bilingual studies. Our efforts to promote La Francophonie and ensure the availability of programs in French continues.
We understand the anxieties of the Francophone community in Ontario. Francophones in Ontario have throughout their history been on the margins of quality education in this province. Their hard-won gains in education are the stuff of great mythology in our community: the abolition of Regulation 17, the Sturgeon Falls and Penetanguishene school crises, and the negotiations that led to the creation of the University of Sudbury and Laurentian University -- all are part and parcel of our history and our committed linguistic identity.
But with our tricultural mandate and our firm commitment to La Francophonie and official bilingualism, Laurentian University is nurturing the next generation of young artists, lawyers, environmentalists, teachers, and other francophone leaders our communities need and deserve. The French language is thriving here at Laurentian.
Francophones will always have their place at Laurentian. We affirm our passion for our community and for “langue de Dalpé et Desbiens,” (a Franco-Ontarian twist on “la langue de Molière”) and also of Laurentian luminaries like Obonsawin, Mbonimpa, and Gravel, in all their vibrant accents.
Your roots, your language, your gains will be protected, valued and celebrated. We remain a beacon that brings our community together, supports the aspirations of our youth, and heralds the future of our community.
As CANO sang, we are “at the four winds of a possible future,” “aux quatre vents de l’avenir possible.”
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Dr. Robert Haché is President and Vice-Chancellor of Laurentian University.