Ministry of Francophone Affairs

The Ministry of Francophone Affairs (French: Ministère des Affaires francophones) in the Canadian province of Ontario is responsible for the provision of government services to Franco-Ontarian citizens and communities.[2]

It was originally founded as the Office of Francophone Affairs (French: Office des affaires francophones) in 1986 by the government of David Peterson,[3] as an expansion of the former Office of the Government Coordinator of French-Language Services.[4] It was upgraded to a full ministry in 2017 by the government of Kathleen Wynne.[5]

Following the 2018 Ontario general election, the new government of Doug Ford announced plans to demote the department from a ministry back down to an office,[6] but was forced to backtrack in the face of community opposition.[7]

Under the province's French Language Services Act, the provincial government provides French language services if a community or region's francophone population exceeds 5,000 or 10 percent of the community's total population. There are 25 areas of the province so designated. The office also has a role in the governance of Ontario's francophone public television network, TFO, as well as francophone school boards and other government offices, and acts as a liaison office between the government and other francophone cultural agencies and social services.

The current Minister of Francophone Affairs is Caroline Mulroney.