Date of publication: 06 Apr 2022 • 11 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 134 Comments “It is very important that all Quebec learn French,” says Simon Jolin-Barrette, Minister responsible for Bill 96. Photo: Jacques Boissinot / The Canadian Press
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Quebec – The minister responsible for the language review of the Legault government has thrown cold water on the Liberals’ request to repeal a clause they have proposed, which requires students in English CEGEP to take three lessons in French.
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“I’m considering the mea culpa (of the Liberals), but I think it is a good amendment,” Simon Jolin-Barrette told reporters on Wednesday. “It is very important that all French lessons are taught to all Quebec residents. “We have to give tools to all Quebec so that they can work and live their lives and integrate well into Quebec. So I take their request into account. “ Recalling that there are predictions that English speakers will fail en masse in classes because their French is not good enough, Jolin-Barrette said: “Everyone has to make some effort, in elementary (level), in high school and also in CEGEP. We need to improve French lessons for all Quebec. “We have to give the tools to all the members of the Quebec nation so that they can have a good knowledge of French.”
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Jolin-Barrette made the remarks a day after Prime Minister François Legault said removing the amendment from Bill 96 could be complicated. Legault noted that it was the Liberals who proposed the amendment and that it was approved by the committee examining Bill 96 with the approval of the party. Jolin-Barrette’s original proposal was to require French-speaking and non-English-speaking students attending CEGEP to take three courses in French. His plan was to exclude English-speaking students, but the Liberals insisted the new curriculum also applies to English-speaking students. The party is now facing a backlash from the English-speaking community, including CEGEP parents and principals, who say many students will drop out. There are also questions about how the new rules could be applied. For example, CEGEP English teachers are not trained to teach subjects such as the humanities or mathematics in a second language.
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Danielle McCann, the minister of higher education, was unclear on Wednesday when asked if the government has a plan to make such a system work. “Our first goal is for students to graduate,” McCann told reporters. “So we will implement all the conditions to ensure that they graduate.” At the same time, he added, the government believes in protecting the French and that students should speak more of them. Despite the prospect of asking for something to be reversed, Liberal leader Dominique Anglade on Wednesday called on the government to “do the right thing” in the best interests of the students. “We did our job to listen to the people and understand that what is on the table right now is not true,” Anglade told reporters. “I definitely hope that the government will do the same thing and will be responsible and will realize that it is not valid and we have to open it again (the clause).
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“The right thing to do is to listen to what people on the ground have to say and realize that as it is now, it will not work. And to put students in front of all this (politics). You want everyone to succeed. “ In order for the Liberals’ request to proceed, the committee examining Bill 96 will have to agree to reopen the section of the bill that covers the CEGEPs. The committee met again Wednesday morning but did not discuss the issue. The other two opposition parties, Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire, said the demand was a good idea, although QS said the measure should be implemented gradually. [email protected] twitter.com/philipauthier
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