November 4, 2014

Marie-France Lalonde
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs
8th Floor, Hearts Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2E1

Dear Ms. Lalonde:

It is an honour and a pleasure to have you as my Parliamentary Assistant. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Office of Francophone Affairs and to outline some of the important work that lies ahead of us.

As you know, our government has a plan to invest in the talent and skills of our people, build modern infrastructure, support a dynamic and innovative business climate, and provide better retirement security to people across the province. At the heart of this plan are partnerships with businesses, people and communities, which will help our government grow the economy, create jobs and implement solutions that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

This balanced and comprehensive plan is underpinned by a focus on fiscal prudence. The mandate letter I received last month from Premier Wynne reinforced our government’s commitment to balance the budget by 2017-18 and to pursue increased openness, accountability and modernization.

Parliamentary Assistants play a key role in delivering these priorities and have a responsibility to put our government’s plan into action.

The Office of Francophone Affairs is committed to ensuring that Francophones have access to provincial government services in French and that they participate in the social, economic, and political life of the province, while maintaining their linguistic and cultural heritage. This year Francophone cultural heritage will be on full display in communities across Ontario, as the province celebrates the 400th anniversary of French presence in Ontario. Our province is home to over 610,000 Francophones - the largest Francophone population in Canada outside of Quebec. As this population continues to grow, so will the number of areas designated under the French Language Services Act.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Engaging with the Francophone community across the province to ensure that the Office of Francophone Affairs continues to serve as an effective link between the community and our government;
  • Promoting and attending events related to the celebration of the 400th anniversary of French presence in Ontario;
  • Working with MPPs and municipal representatives in communities in which there is a desire to become an area designated under the French Languages Services Act; and
  • Representing the interests of the Franco-Ontarian community at the Assemblée parlementaire de la francophonie.

I am confident that together, working in collaboration with our partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, we can deliver on our commitment to the people we are privileged to represent and serve. I look forward to working with you to deliver our ministry’s mandate, build Ontario up — and help achieve a brighter future for every person in this province.

Sincerely,

Madeleine Meilleur signature

The Honourable Madeleine Meilleur
Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs