BY MICHEL DUGRÉ
OTTAWA - Ten thousand Franco-Ontarians gathered here March 22 to protest against Ontario Conservative government's proposal to close down the Monfort hospital, the only French hospital in this province.

Hundreds of members of the Ontario Francophone Youth Federation (FESFO) filled the front of the rally, dancing and chanting, "Monfort closed, Never!" No participant could remember such a big rally for Franco-Ontarians rights. "This is a historical day," many kept repeating.

"I begin to realize the importance of fighting to take our place and be respected," said protester Michel Paquet.

There are half a million francophones living in Ontario. They constitute an oppressed community, with incomes and education below the average, including higher illiteracy levels. Although their history of fights and resistance is connected to that of their Quebecois neighbors, it is also different. While the fight of Quebecois increasingly poses Quebec separation from the Canadian state, the fight of Franco-Ontarians is centered on gaining greater access to and control over social services in French.

The contrast between the conditions of Franco-Ontarians and those of the marginally bigger English-speaking community in Quebec is striking. While the Ontario government is preparing to close down the Monfort hospital, Quebec anglophones have a whole network of health services, including several hospitals. While Franco-Ontarians are still waiting for their first university, anglophones in Quebec have three universities and almost twice as much chance to get a university diploma than Quebecois.

Among participants at the rally were hundreds of veterans of previous battles for Franco-Ontarians' rights.

There were teachers who had participated in the 1970s battles for the establishment of French-language high schools in Ontario. There were the first patients of the Monfort hospital in the 1950s. Many participants recalled with pride the successful battle in the early years of this century against Law 17, which made teaching French in Ontario practically illegal.

While most participants were from the Ottawa region, some had traveled up to 10 hours from northern Ontario.

The rally had been prepared by a series of actions. On March 12, for example, 700 Franco-Ontarians had rallied in Embrun, near Ottawa. On March 20, students from Samuel- Genest College and the Lasalle School had formed a chain around the Monfort hospital while 500 youth were gathering at the Cité collégiale.

"The [Ontario] government despises us," said Marie- Claude Chénier, a FESFO member at L'Escale high school. "And if they show contempt for our only hospital, what are they going to do with our high schools?"

"It is hard to find service in French at Place d'Orléans, our local shopping center," added her mother Lucie. "And it will get harder if we let them close down the hospital."

On March 17, Monfort hospital supporters were chased away from Place d'Orléans after trying to put up an information table.

"I don't want to go in a hospital and be told `I don't speak French,' " said Anne-Marie Mazile, who was born in Haiti. Her three kids have been through French schools in Ontario.

"It is unfair," said Sabin Lévesque, a Quebecois who works at Monfort. "They pretend that Francophones will find services in French in other hospitals, but how can we believe that when they close the only hospital in the province where doctors, nurses, technicians, and others can be trained in French?"

"My grandmother doesn't speak much English," said 16- year-old Thelma Blum, from the Garneau high school. "When she went to another hospital recently, she had a hard time understanding what she was told. It's not fair for her."

"My neighbor works at Monfort and I don't want him to lose his job," added her 15-year-old friend, Mélanie Lafrance.

The defense of the Monfort hospital is propelling Franco- Ontarians in the forefront of the fight against cuts in social services in Ontario.

"It is not only a question of language, it is also a question of quality of services," said Michel Brisebois, underlining the fact that other hospitals are also on the chopping block.

Other actions are being planned for the coming weeks.

Young Socialists member Vicky Mercier contributed to this article. Mercier and Michel Dugré are members of the International Association of Machinists in Montreal.  
 
 
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