Francisation Quebec plagued with bottlenecks as students wait to take French classes
Since its creation about a year ago, Francisation Québec has been struggling to keep up with demand, resulting in "bottlenecks."
Nearly half of those who have applied for registration had still not started their courses as of April 15, 2024.
Those are findings from French Language Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil's latest report, made public on Wednesday.
Set up in June 2023, Francisation Québec is a one-stop shop designed to simplify access to French courses, particularly for newcomers.
Between the time of its creation and April 2024, out of nearly 99,000 requests the organization received, 50,400 people had started their courses or received confirmation of enrolment.
"Since June 1, 2023, however, the mechanisms put in place have not been able to keep up with the large volume of applications submitted," the report reads. "Bottlenecks have thus appeared in the group training process, creating waiting times for applicants and causing various problems for service providers and students alike."
The report states that there is "a close link between the increase in the number of temporary foreign workers in Quebec and the increase in the number of applications for French courses," but that this demand does not seem to have been anticipated by Francisation Québec.
"And yet, the significant growth in the number of temporary workers who don't speak French was not completely unforeseeable. Indeed, it is the result of changes that the governments of Quebec and Canada implemented without first assessing the capacity of French language learning services to accommodate this new clientele," the commissioner says in his 121-page report.
Dubreuil recommends "developing a robust demand forecasting model and strengthening enrolment management mechanisms, so as to promote the reduction of processing times."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 29, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'There's mom and dad's house': New video appears to show destruction of Jasper neighbourhood
Video posted to social media on Thursday morning appears to show the charred remains of a Jasper, Alta., neighbourhood.
Multiple homes, businesses 'lost' to wildfire in Jasper National Park: Parks Canada
Officials from Parks Canada and Jasper say "multiple structures, including a number of businesses and homes, in and around the town of Jasper, have been lost" to wildfire in Jasper National Park.
Prince William's 2023 salary revealed in new report
Newly released financial reports show that William, the Prince of Wales, drew a salary of $42.1 million last fiscal year, his first since inheriting the vast and lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
Alberta premier says a third, perhaps half, of all Jasper buildings destroyed by fire
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says early reports indicate a third and perhaps up to half of all buildings in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper have been destroyed in a wildfire.
Canada to bring home fewest Olympic medals since 2012, according to forecaster
Fewer Canadians are expected to reach the Paris podium than in the previous two Olympic Summer Games, a global data analytics company predicts.
Jennifer Aniston criticizes JD Vance for 'childless cat ladies' remarks: 'I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children'
Jennifer Aniston is criticizing JD Vance for comments he made in his past about women without children.
'Skibidi Toilet:' If you don't know what it is, you will
'Skibidi Toilet' is already an internet sensation and now its about to get even more exposure after the YouTube series is being developed for TV and film, according to a report by Variety.
NASA says no return date yet for astronauts and Boeing capsule at space station
Already more than a month late getting back, two NASA astronauts will remain at the International Space Station until engineers finish working on problems plaguing their Boeing capsule, officials said Thursday.
French sprinter will wear a cap during Olympic opening ceremony after hijab dispute is resolved
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will be allowed to participate in the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics wearing a cap to cover her hair, an agreement reached with the French Olympic Committee after Sylla said she was barred because of her hijab.