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QUEBEC — The Franco-Ontarian flag will fly from the Quebec National Assembly on Saturday as a show of support for francophones in Ontario.

The National Assembly unanimously passed a motion to that effect on Friday.

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The motion, tabled by Véronique Hivon, the Parti Québécois MNA for Joliette, is meant to convey Quebec MNAs’ solidarity with the Franco-Ontarian community, and in particular with Glengarry–Prescott–Russell MPP Amanda Simard, who quit her Progressive Conservative party caucus to protest against the insensitivity of Ontario Premier Doug Ford toward the francophone minority of his province, Hivon said.

Simard quit the caucus this week to protest against cuts to francophone services by the Ford government, including its announcement that it’s breaking its promise to build a French-language university in Toronto.

In the motion, the Quebec National Assembly denounces “this new attack on the rights of the francophone community that is in a minority position in Canada” and notes that “the survival of the French language there remains fragile.”

A day of mobilization has been called for Saturday in Ontario, so the motion passed by the Quebec National Assembly calls for the green-and-white Franco-Ontarian flag to fly on that day.

Hivon told reporters that she denounces the Ford government for decisions that “are full of contempt” for francophones.

Several Quebec Liberal MNAs, including official opposition leader Pierre Arcand, say they’ll be in Ottawa on Saturday to participate in a protest in support of Franco-Ontarians’ rights.