Windsor Essex Franco-Ontarians join province-wide protest

They rang cowbells, held protest signs and waved flags Saturday afternoon as hundreds of Windsor area Franco-Ontariansjoined thousands of others across the province to protest cuts to French language services being imposed by the Progressive Conservative government.

The protestsorganized by the Francophone Assembly of Ontario, which represents 740,000 Franco-Ontarians took place in front of MPPs' offices of all political stripes.

• In protests outside MPPs' offices, Franco-Ontarians resist Ford government's French-language cuts

The local members of the French Canadian Association of Ontario (ACFO)joined Essex NDP MPP Taras Natyshak in a rally in front of his constituency office in Essex. Most dressed in green and carried signs, one of which read - "We are, we will remain Franco-Ontarians."

"We are the population that made this country. That made this province as well," said ACFO President Elisabeth Brito.

This "resistance" is a response to Premier Doug Ford's move to downgrade the province's independent watchdog on francophone services andrepeal funding for a planned French-language university in the Greater Toronto Area.

The cut to the university is especially troubling for 21 year-old education student Josee-MarieVercouteren.

"I'm upset because it would have been a university that I would like to go to and maybe teach there one day," said Vercouteren, who is in her first year in the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Education program at a mini-campus in Windsor.

Speaking in French to the protestors, Natyshakslammed the provincial government for reneging on a promise to fund the French university and called for Premier Doug Ford to reverse the decision to eliminate the French language services commissioner.

"Now that he sees that he's on the wrong side of history here one of the things that he said is that he's going to suddenly learn how to speak French. Well one of the first things he should learn to say is au revoir, good bye, because if he continues on with this tragectoryhe's not going to last very long as the premier of the province," said Natyshak.

Ford plans to create a French- Language services commissioner position within the Ombudsman's office.