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
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.