MONTREAL—St-John's is the little school that could, with classes from kindergarten to high school.
“It's a wonderful school. It's a real community. It's really a very vibrant part of that community,” said Moira Bell from the Riverside School Board.
The school is part of Riverside's proud record, with one of the lowest drop-out rates in Quebec and a pioneer of French immersion 45-years-ago.
Under Bill 14 military families from the nearby St-Jean Garrison would lose the right to send their kids to English schools and that would hit St-John’s hard
“They stand to lose fully over 100 students of a population of 800. That's going to change the fabric of the school. It’s gonna change the dynamic inside,” said Bell.
Fewer students, she says, means less money for the school's programs.
Also at the hearings on Tuesday was the Retail Trade Council. It says Bill 14 sends the wrong message: Coercion instead of assistance to encourage more French in the workplace.
“With new uselessly limiting rules, some businesses may have to close,” said Leopold Turgeon of the retail council.
Language laws, he urges, should be more supportive than forceful.
However, language minister Diane de Courcy replied that a soft approach has been tried and it didn't work. It's time for a tougher approach.
“I will ask you to reflect again,” said de Courcy.
If the minister needed support on Tuesday, she got it from the Federation des travailleurs du Quebec. The union says working in French is a must.
“We need even more French lessons for employees and immigrants,” said FTQ representative Daniel Boyer.
Faced with a multitude of requests for changes or outright ditching of Bill 14, the minister is promising a line-by-line study of the bill after the hearings that end Thursday. The promise of yet more political duels before the bill is voted on in the National Assembly.
