Bill 96: Quebec legislators slam English-speaking kids' French fluency, blame school system
Quebec kids were at the heart of a heated exchange Thursday over language laws -- specifically, English-speaking kids and whether they're really leaving school with functional French.
"English schools are capable of preparing students to live in French, to integrate into French-speaking society," argued Russell Copeman, director of Quebec's English school board association (QESBA) as he testified about proposed language law Bill 96.
That's not what the head of the province's association of colleges says, fired back Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.
"M. Tremblay said that English CEGEP students aren’t functional in French," he said.
The man he was referring to, Bernard Tremblay, is the president of the Federation of CEGEPs.
The province's English-language CEGEPs, high schools and elementary schools haven't been doing a good enough job of preparing their students to live and work in French, Jolin-Barrette insisted.
That's one reason it's important for the province now to crack down on education with Bill 96, he added.
The proposed legislation is meant to update Bill 101, Quebec's major language law passed in the 1970s.
Some of the new law's most controversial measures involve English-speakers' education rights, particularly the proposal to create a strict cap on spots in English-language CEGEPS.
The topic has dominated the hearings so far. Testimony on Wednesday included an architect of the original Bill 101, Guy Rocher, saying the government of that era had made a "mistake" on CEGEPs.
It should have required immigrants and allophones to attend them in French, rather than having a choice, Rocher said.
Thursday, Copeman was asked to answer for English-speakers' lack of fluency in French after going through the English education system, taking French immersion or French as a second language.
He said he doesn't believe the French deficiencies are serious.
"The government of Quebec recognizes that those students who get a diploma from secondary school in Quebec have a good knowledge of French," he said.
His three children, who went through school at the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), have "not flawless," but still excellent French, he said.
"That is very good," answered Jolin-Barrette, "but fundamentally, there is an issue."
He asked for Copeman's thoughts on a political dust-up earlier this month, when the EMSB included a clause denying the existence of Quebec's nationhood in a motion opposing Bill 96.
The incident inspired Quebec Premier François Legault to call the EMSB a "radical group" and Montreal mayoral candidate Denis Coderre to drop the chair of the EMSB, Joe Ortona, from his slate of candidates in the upcoming election.
Ortona and the EMSB immediately acknowledged that including the clause was a mistake and retracted it.
On Thursday, Jolin-Barrette said the incident was "deplorable" and said he was "curious" to know Copeman's opinion.
"I think the same as [Ortona]," Copeman said. "It was ill-advised."
He said the clause was removed, and "for me, that’s the end of the story."
LISTEN ON CJAD RADIO 800: The Bill 96 hearings continued this week, and it was the Anglo schools that got to have their say. Russell Copeman, executive director of The Quebec English School Boards Association weighs in
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.