b"continues to prepare, numerous submissions in response to this legislation and the resultingregulatory and procedural consultations. In addition, ACPO was one of only three school organizations invited to testify before the Ontario government's Standing Committee on Social Policy as part of the public hearings on Bill 98. ACPO wanted to voice many of its concerns about this bill, which gives the Minister of Education many new powers, thereby reducing those of school boards. However, ACPO wanted to reinforce certain aspects of the legislation relating to school capital assets, which could prove favourable to French-language school boards, if implemented in compliance with section 23 of the Canadian Constitution. Indeed, the Minister has the power to compel the sharing of a school between two school boards, in addition to forcing school board to sell under-utilized school facilities. These new powers have been incorporated into Bill 98, particularly with regard to the government's obligations to ensure that school facilities for minority students are of equivalent quality to those of the majority. President Anne-Marie Glineault and Executive Director Isabelle Girard, representing ACPO, reminded the committee that For students everywhere in Ontario to have equitable access to a high-quality public education in French, we must provide school facilities that allow for an educational experience truly equivalent to that of children of the majority. Therefore, for the implementation of the Minister of Education's new powers to force the joint use of schools or the alienation of underutilized school space, when aimed at a francophone board, they must obligatorily contribute to the implementation of section 23 of the charter. Political Action in Minority Communities: from Constant Awareness to Government relations are crucial when it comes to defending the priorities of French-language Sustained Advocacy public education in Ontario. Establishing close ties with political decision-makers becomes imperative to ensure that our specic needs are taken into account and our concerns heard. However, government relations must not be limited to one-off interactions, but must be nurtured on an ongoing basis. The unexpected arrival of Bill 98 is a compelling illustration of why this is crucial. Thanks to the prior establishment of good relationships with both the government and opposition parties, ACPO was able to exert a positive inuence from the very beginning of this bill's implementation.The importance of government relations for French-language education in Ontario cannot be overstated. It is through these close ties that ACPO can ensure that its educational priorities are fully integrated into the political agenda, thereby guaranteeing an inclusive education system adapted to its specic needs."