Anthony Rota, the MP for Nipissing-Timiskaming, says Premier Doug Ford is engaged in “divisive politics”.
Rota accused the Premier of playing political games after the Progressive Conservative government announced cuts to French-language rights and services.
Those cuts include cancelling the planned Francophone university announced by the former Liberal government last year and eliminating the French-language services Commissioner.
Rota says Canada is a large country with two main groups of people; the Anglophones and Francophones.
“And if you’re in Ontario and are Francophone then you have protected rights much like Anglophones in Quebec need to be protected so they feel included in the country,” Rota said.
Rota said at the provincial level while the Premier is playing divisive politics, Andrew Scheer, who is the Conservative Party’s national leader “seems unconcerned about divisive politics.”
“This can destroy a country and that’s not what Canada is about,” Rota said.
Rota says it’s important that the provincial government realize that Canada has certain rights entrenched in it and Franco-Ontarians are one of those groups that have rights under the Charter.
“I think it’s important that Canadians realize Canada is at peril,” Rota said.
“What we don’t want is divisiveness that hit us in the 70s and coming back again because certain politicians want to play games.”
Rota says he plans to talk to Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli about the cuts sooner than later.
It was Fedeli, as Finance Minister, who announced the cuts in last week’s fall economic statement.
Rota says he and Fedeli have a great working relationship and says he wants to continue that relationship.