With three days until the provincial election, Crombie held a campaign stop in Ottawa-Vanier, a riding with a significant Franco-Ontarian population, where she faced questions from francophone media about the Liberals’ linguistic faux-pas. In French, Crombie said the party intended to provide a translation to their original responses, but it came too late.
“This was very regrettable and very unfortunate,” she said in English on Monday. “There was a problem with the French translation, and it came a little bit later.”
“We regret that this has happened and apologize profusely.”
All four parties with seats in the Ontario legislature were invited by the AFO to complete the questionnaire ahead of the upcoming provincial election. The survey focused on francophone affairs and making public services more accessible to people who speak French.
Crombie was in Ottawa-Vanier to support Liberal candidate Lucille Collard’s bid for re-election. Collard, who has represented the riding since 2020, previously served as chair for eastern Ontario’s French language school board.
Crombie and Collard spoke in front of a large banner that read ‘End Hallway Healthcare,’ but only in English. Crombie was again forced to apologize, when asked why the sign featured no French translation.
“Our apologies again,” said Crombie. “This is a banner that we’re using right across the province, so our apologies that it wasn’t translated.”
Collard, along with the Progressive Conservative (PC), NDP, and Green candidates in Ottawa-Vanier, are members of the Franco-Ontarian community.
Statistics from the provincial government suggest there are 1.5 million Ontario residents who speak French, including more than 620,000 Franco-Ontarians.
Last week, the Liberals unveiled their election platform, which included promises to “develop a Francophone Healthcare Strategy” and “strengthen French education across Ontario.”
The PCs released the party’s full platform on Monday, though it featured no references to the French language or the francophone community.
Public opinion data suggests PC Leader Doug Ford is likely to secure another majority government, though the Liberals and NDP appear to be in a close battle for second-place.
Election day is Feb. 27.
