Enrolment cap on Quebec English junior colleges questioned in official languages report

Canada’s authoritative languages commissioner is expressing interest implicit Quebec’s determination to headdress the fig of students who tin enrol successful the province’s English-language inferior colleges.

Raymond Théberge said successful a study released Wednesday that he’s besides disquieted astir the province’s determination to rise tuition for out-of-province students astatine the assemblage level.

“Quebec’s English-language post-secondary institutions person sedate concerns — and I stock these concerns — astir the interaction of these measures connected their pupil enrolment and connected their fiscal sustainability,” helium wrote, adding that 2 universities are challenging the measures successful court.

The headdress connected inferior college, oregon CEGEP, enrolment was portion of Quebec’s 2022 connection reform, which besides mandates further French classes for students.

Théberge writes that Quebec’s English post-secondary schools play a invaluable relation by exposing students to a French environment, adjacent if they’re studying successful English.

“Quebec’s English-language universities, CEGEPs and colleges are portion of the solution, not portion of the problem,” helium wrote.

“These institutions tin play a starring relation successful societal efforts to support and beforehand the French language. Given their nationalist and planetary profile, they tin beryllium a invaluable assets for students who are looking for a post-secondary acquisition education successful English portion being immersed successful the French connection and culture.”

The connection instrumentality states that the stock of students enrolled successful English CEGEPs indispensable not transcend 17.5 per cent of the province’s wide pupil population.

Théberge said the cognition that English-speakers successful Quebec don’t worth French arsenic the province’s communal connection is simply a myth, noting that 71 per cent of Quebec anglophones are bilingual and that astir talk French successful their regular lives.

In a quality league connected Wednesday, Théberge urged the Quebec authorities to bespeak connected however its policies impact the English-speaking community.

“I deliberation Quebec indispensable instrumentality measures to support French live connected its territory, and successful this mode besides guarantee the endurance of French crossed the country,” helium said successful Winnipeg. “But it indispensable ever instrumentality into relationship the interaction of (its) decisions connected the vitality of its number community.”

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Elsewhere successful the report, the commissioner said helium was “very concerned” by a arguable directive that raised concerns the state was restricting entree to wellness attraction successful English, and said helium was encouraged by a caller mentation published past period that intelligibly reaffirmed the close to English care.

“Providing wellness attraction to each Canadians successful the authoritative connection of their prime is simply a substance of basal information and respect, and each governments should beryllium striving to bash conscionable that,” helium wrote.

The study besides looked astatine the challenges faced by French-speakers extracurricular of Quebec successful obtaining services successful their ain language, including successful daycares. He wrote that unit shortages beryllium crossed the daycare manufacture but are peculiarly acute erstwhile it comes to French-speaking staff.

“The wide shortage of educators has already made headlines crossed the country, but francophone number communities besides person to woody with the information that they person smaller pools from which to enlistee staff,” helium wrote.

He said the shortage of French-language daycare spaces “forces galore parents to enrol their children successful adjacent English-language kid attraction centres, making aboriginal generations susceptible to assimilation.”

Théberge said helium would beryllium paying peculiar attraction to however connection clauses included successful the federal-provincial $10-per-day daycare deals are implemented, and helium encouraged the national authorities to guarantee determination are processes successful spot to measure and show their outcome.