Less and less enthusiasm for Franco-Ontarian license plates

The number of Franco-Ontarian license plates issued across the province has greatly decreased since 2019. In 2023, only 10 will be put into circulation across all of Ontario.

Twenty years after the introduction of Franco-Ontarian license plates which proudly display the green and white flag, the interest they arouse has been declining over the last five years.

In 2019, in the midst of the movement of resistance Franco-Ontarian, in reaction to the elimination of the French language services commissioner and the putting on ice of the Franco-Ontarian university project, 186 of them were issued across the province. Since then, the craze has faded. In 2022, only five were put into circulation and double that the following year.

Number of license plates distributed in Ontario from 2019 to 2023

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
License plates in English	1,838,772	1,616,141	1,721,452	1,745,486	1,828,498
French license plates	4191	3585	4078	3954	4205
Franco-Ontarian license plates	186	96	48	5	10
TOTAL number plates revealed	1,843,149	1,619,822	1,725,578	1,749,445	1,832,713

[…] we perhaps feel less sense of expressing ourselves or demonstrating our Franco-Ontarian pride because we are not in a crisis situation or because we feel good within the Francophonie. We take that for granted”,”text”:”Now that the “resistance” is over[…] we perhaps feel less sense of expressing ourselves or demonstrating our Franco-Ontarian pride because we are not in a crisis situation or because we feel good within the Francophonie. We take that for granted”}}”>Now that the “resistance” is over […] we perhaps feel less sense of expressing ourselves or demonstrating our Franco-Ontarian pride because we are not in a crisis situation or because we feel good within the Francophonie. We take it for grantedanalyzes the president of the Assembly of the Francophonie of Ontario (AFO), Fabien Hébert.

But according to him, the reason for these plaques remains.

The fact that we display our flag on our vehicle shows others how we are [fier] of our Franco-Ontarian community.

Of course, if all Franco-Ontarians had their plaque, that would be fantastic because I think it would really make a demonstrative move at the government level to make them understand how proud Francophones are and how much they care about their Francophonie in Ontario.

Last year, it was in Ottawa that we found the largest number of Franco-Ontarian plates distributed, with three plates. But in communities as French-speaking as Casselman, Bourget, Hawkesbury or Hearst, none have been issued.

In the last five years, it is also in downtown Ottawa that ServiceOntario has distributed the most Franco-Ontarian license plates across the province, with 54, ahead of the Orléans district, which has counted 46 over the same period – with the province dividing its data by neighborhood in the national capital.

For their part, the number of plates issued with only the slogan in French has remained stable for the last five years, representing on average 0.23% of license plates distributed per year.

Several explanations

The president of theAFO believes that several factors could explain the decline in interest in Franco-Ontarian plates, such as the lack of advertising or availability of said plates in ServiceOntario offices.

Éric Barrette experienced it. When he wanted to register his new vehicle in 2019, the president of the Association of Franco-Ontarian Communities of Ottawa (ACFO Ottawa) saw himself displaying the green and white flag on his car.

[…] Every time I pass a car with a plate with a Franco-Ontarian flag, I tell myself that there are almost 50% chance I know the person inside”,”text”:”It’s a way to be visible.[…] Every time I pass a car with a plate with a Franco-Ontarian flag, I tell myself that there is almost a 50% chance that I know the person inside”}}”>It’s a way of being visible. […] Every time I pass a car with a plate with a Franco-Ontarian flag, I tell myself that there is almost a 50% chance that I know the person insidehe says.

However, he quickly became disillusioned. No Franco-Ontarian license plates were available at the provincial office where his dealer visited, in the west of the city. Even the one with only the slogan in French was not available either, so today, Mr. Barrette drives a vehicle registered in English.

[…] not until the demand is there, it’s a combination of circumstances. I had been waiting for my car for three months. I wasn’t ready to sacrifice another week to have a plaque with a Franco-Ontarian flag.”,”text”:”Often, it’s not[…] not until the demand is there, it’s a combination of circumstances. I had been waiting for my car for three months. I wasn’t ready to sacrifice another week to have a plaque with a Franco-Ontarian flag.”}}”>Often it is not […] not until the demand is there, it’s a combination of circumstances. I had been waiting for my car for three months. I was not ready to sacrifice another week to have a plaque with a Franco-Ontarian flag.

On the ServiceOntario website, it is stated that delivery times for a license plate with graphic can be six to eight weeks.

The president of theACFO Ottawa, however, regrets that the province does not plan to have plates in French – in the absence of having Franco-Ontarian plates – directly available in the majority of ServiceOntario offices, especially in a region where Francophones are as numerous as in Ottawa.

Another possible explanation for this lack of enthusiasm is their price, $82.15. In times of inflation, this can have consequences, believes Mr. Hébert.

Times are more difficult, the inflation rate is high, we question all our purchases, we want to save money… So it’s clear that this is one of the factors that comes into play.

Improve the availability and promotion of plates

Former Minister for Francophone Affairs from 2003 to 2018 in Ontario, Madeleine Meilleur followed this issue closely. Ironically, the former Liberal elected official also had to give up a license plate with the Franco-Ontarian flag for her new car.

For the current general director of the Muséoparc Vanier, the drop in the number of Franco-Ontarian plaques issued in recent years can be explained as much by a lack of promotion as by a problem of accessibility.

: “Do you want a plaque with ‘So much to discover’, plus the Franco-Ontarian flag?” Because I’m sure people would want to buy it.”,”text”:”That would be nice to have an active offer. THE [bureaux de Service] Ontario must ask people: “Do you want a plaque with ‘So much to discover’, plus the Franco-Ontarian flag?” Because I am convinced that people would want to buy it.”}}”>It would be nice to have an active offer. THE [bureaux de Service] Ontario need to ask people: “Do you want a plaque with ‘So much to discover’, plus the Franco-Ontarian flag?” Because I’m sure people would want to buy it.

She also suggests removing the cost associated with this plaque to encourage interest in it.

The president of theAFO approves of this idea. He also suggests that his organization plays a role in raising awareness of these products.

We could do an awareness campaign to remind people that these are options that are available and that we need the [soutien] of the entire community to assert our rights, then demonstrate the level at which people are engaged in the Francophonie in Ontario.

The Minister of Francophone Affairs of Ontario, Caroline Mulroney, had not responded to an interview request from Radio-Canada at the time of publishing this text.

The Ministry of Transport, for its part, indicated these graphic plaques available to all Ontarians and let It’s up to everyone to choose the one that suits them best..

For his part, the spokesperson for the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) on French-speaking affairs, Guy Bourgouin, refused to comment on the matter. His office explains that this focuses its efforts on the reduction in the offer of services in French and the glaring lack of financial support for solutions to shortages in health and education in French.

With information from Rebecca Kwan