Article content

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a message to Ontario’s French-speaking minority today in light of budget cuts in the province that affect them: the federal government has your back.

Trudeau says standing up for francophone communities is an important federal responsibility, one that he intends to uphold.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Trudeau aims to confront Ford over cuts to francophone services Back to video

The prime minister’s comments were his first public reaction to the Doug-Ford government’s recent budget cuts since returning from summits in Asia.

Ford’s conservatives last week announced cuts affecting Ontario’s 600,000 francophones, including the cancellation of plans for a francophone university and eliminating the office of the province’s French language services commissioner.

Quebec’s political class and media pundits have seized on the cuts as evidence of a lack of commitment to French outside Quebec.

On his way into a cabinet meeting in Ottawa this morning, Trudeau said he realizes the importance of French language services for minorities and is planning to speak with Premier Ford about the cuts.