In the early 1960s, Ontario made massive investments in post-secondary education, including the creation of new universities. Unlike Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, which supported minority-language institutions, Ontario opted for institutional bilingualism, already present at the University of Ottawa. Laurentian University was established on this model.

Twenty years after the creation of Laurentian University in Sudbury in 1960, the findings of its Association des étudiants francophones (AEF) were clear: the bilingual model inherited from the 1960s was assimilative, paternalistic, and colonizing (Le Droit, March 4, 1980). Only a fully French-language institution could fully ensure the institutional autonomy and vitality of the Franco-Ontarian community.

Founded in 1974, the AEF was part of the aftermath of the “Serene Revolution,” a cultural movement marked by the creation of the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (1971), the first cultural festival Nuit sur l’étang (1973) and the Éditions Prise de parole (1973). This dynamic environment prompted students to demand increased French-language services at Laurentian University.

When the administration exhibited little empathy, the AEF resorted to various pressure tactics, including the occupation of Laurentian University in February 1979. Taking advantage of the social and cultural climate leading up to the first referendum on political sovereignty in the Province of Quebec, the signatories intended to raise the stakes (Le Droit, February 28, 1980). The creation of a French-language university represented part of the long history of mobilization since the implementation of Regulation 17 in 1912, and more particularly in the wake of the school conflicts over secondary schools in Sturgeon Falls, Cornwall, and Penetanguishene, among others, during the 1970s.

The press release ended with a call to action. Although the wishes expressed by the AEF were not immediately realized, this first mobilization heralded an important social debate for French Ontario. Periodically brought back to the forefront, the issue made a strong comeback in the 2010s following an investigative report by the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner (2012) and the États généraux sur le postsecondaire en Ontario français (2013-2014). Thanks to community action, a bill creating the Université de l’Ontario français was passed in December 2017.