Sutcliffe releases plan supporting Ottawa’s Francophone community

Mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe outlined his plan to supporting Ottawa's Francophone community should he be elected as Ottawa's next mayor. 

Mark Sutcliffe, a former CityNews Ottawa talk show host, entrepreneur and author, is one of 14 people vying to be Ottawa's next mayor.

“Bilingualism in Ottawa is an economic and cultural anchor for our city as well as foundational to our identity,” said Sutcliffe “It is a source of pride that we are the only national capital of a G7 country that is bilingual. Our francophone community is strong and vibrant. I believe it is critically important that Ottawa’s Mayor not only be able to speak French but understand its importance and actively work to support the interests of francophones at city hall.”

As part of his 'Hello – Bonjour' platform, Sutcliffe outlined the following actions that he would take to support Francophones and French-language services in Ottawa:

• Affirm and work to reinforce the city's bilingualism policy that “the City of Ottawa recognizes both official languages as having the same rights, status and privileges.”
• Increase the amount of recreational programming offered in French, which is often over-subscribed.
• Ensure Ottawa residents have access to francophone client personnel when accessing front line services at the city of Ottawa
• Ensure city services, including the Ottawa Police Service and Ottawa Community Housing provide service in both French and English
• Ensure community service agencies that are primarily funded by the City of Ottawa offer services in French where there is demand.
• Work closely with all bilingual and francophone educational institutions to ensure they have an open door and voice at City Hall.
• Reinforce the Francophone policies and services at the City of Ottawa by frequently meeting with local stakeholders such as ACFO:Ottawa, MIFO, Maison de la francophonie, and more
• Engage with the French Language Services Advisory Committee at the city of Ottawa
• Profile the fourth round of Ottawa Bilingual Funding with 38 projects from Canadian Heritage and ACFO to strengthen the bilingual character of Ottawa ● Support city and local stakeholders in their applications to renew Canadian Heritage funding
• Support cultural and musical festivities that include and promote francophone programming
• Continue to provide support to the Mouvement d'implication francophone d'Orléans in their efforts to obtain funding for their new build. Sutcliffe also noted the overwhelming support he has received from leaders in the francophone community in Ottawa including Marie France Lalonde, Madeleine Meilleur, Jean Cloutier, and Ronald Caza.