Ontario’s French Language Services Commissioner says the province needs to do more to protect its most vulnerable francophones.

François Boileau’s office received nearly 350 complaints last year, but what concerned him even more was the lack of feedback related to key government ministries, including citizenship and immigration, children and youth services, and community and social services.

Boileau said francophones in Ontario are in the same position as many other minorities: They constantly have to assert themselves and claim their place in society. Otherwise, he said, they lose ground.

But not all francophones can be full-time activists, and many hesitate to assert their right to be served in French because they feel intimidated or worry such a request could bring about negative repercussions, he says.

“These are people that will never make a complaint because they are already in a vulnerable state of mind, so they’re not confronting the administration,” he said.

In his annual report released this week — his sixth since being named commissioner in 2007 — Boileau calls on the province to develop an action plan to ensure “disadvantaged populations” have access to French-language services.

In particular, he highlighted children, seniors, people with mental health challenges, and immigrants.

Treva Cousineau of the Association des communautés francophones d’Ottawa said Boileau is on the right track, and she agreed that francophones who speak out about their language rights are typically well-connected, educated people. Read more.

See: The Ottawa Citizen

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.