You have the right to use French to communicate with and receive services from the government of Ontario.
Ombudsman Ontario has a dedicated team to help protect that right, led by the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario.
We are responsible for monitoring the application of the French Language Services Act. Based on your complaints and experiences, we recommend improvements to make services in French better for everyone.
If you are having trouble receiving government services in French, contact us.
Our services are free and confidential.
We can help you with things like:
Some of the organizations you can complain to us about are:
It’s not always easy to tell where service in French is available, or which agencies are required to serve you in French. If you’re not sure, contact us.
There are some things we can’t do. We can’t:
If we can’t help, we’ll help you figure out who can.
Discover how our team has helped improve services in French in Ontario:
A Francophone woman contacted us to share an experience she found particularly distressing. She had visited a ServiceOntario location near her home in the greater Toronto area to renew her Photo Card. While in line, she asked for service in French from the receptionist, who responded in English.
After completing truck driver training in Ottawa, a Francophone tried multiple times to get a certified bilingual driver examiner for his test at a DriveTest centre in southern Ottawa, a designated area under the French Language Services Act. He complained to us that despite confirming the appointment, the centre told him each time that the bilingual examiner was unavailable.
See more examples of results we’ve achieved for Francophones (external link) .
Learn more about our work with French language services
