The issue of Bill 101 in CEGEP seems to be the issue that arouses the most debate in Bill 96, even if such a measure still does not seem to be included in the bill. Added to this debate is invariably the issue of funding for the expansion of Dawson College. Faced with the plethora of arguments opposing these two measures, it is necessary to respond to them.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
“We must leave the free choice to young adults. »
Students who choose to go to CEGEP in English are not adults, they are 16 or 17 years old. And since CEGEPs are funded at more than 80%, it is curious to speak of a pure and simple individual choice. In the context of a small French nation like Quebec, society, through democracy, can certainly choose not to fund its anglicization.
“We have to respect young people who want to become bilingual. »
High school graduates who decide to go to Anglophone CEGEPs do not want to become bilingual, they already are. Quebec is doing a lot, perhaps even too much, to promote bilingualism. Need we remind you that French-speaking students in Quebec have English classes every year in primary and secondary school and many schools even offer enriched English classes?
“It is discriminatory to favor French-speaking CEGEPs over English-speaking CEGEPs. »
Considering that French is the only official language of Quebec, it seems normal that the French-language education network should be favoured. In fact, since the English-language network is clearly overfunded in relation to its demographic weight, it is the latter which is actually favored by the current system.
On the subject of Bill 101 in CEGEP, researchers Guillaume Rousseau and Éric Poirier have already shown that everything complies with Canadian and Quebec law: “Regulating the language of college instruction by applying the provisions of the Charter of the French language currently restricted to primary and secondary schools would likely respect human rights. » 1 It would therefore seem inappropriate to speak of discrimination here.
“Projects like the cancellation of the Dawson expansion negate the needs of Quebec Anglophones and their institutions. »
Extending Bill 101 to CEGEPs will have no negative effect on the historical English-speaking minority, because all places in English-speaking CEGEPs will be reserved for students from this community. The Dawson expansion actually serves allophones and francophones who wish to become anglicized.
“François Legault forgets that when you are elected, you become the premier of all Quebecers and not just of those who voted for our party and who think like us. »
Of course we are the prime minister of all Quebecers, but if we deny our party identity, what good is politics? If the CAQ decides to extend Bill 101 to the CEGEP, it would respect the historical rights of Anglophones, François Legault would in this sense be the prime minister of this community even if it does not generally vote for him. It should be noted that becoming Prime Minister does not mean being loved by all Quebecers. Politics is also about choosing and making people disappointed.
Sustainability of French Quebec
Everything therefore seems to indicate that the application of Bill 101 to the CEGEP would allow a balance between individual rights and the national interest. The validity of such a measure is therefore not a matter of law. This is a societal issue that calls into question the sustainability of French Quebec and which will be debated by elected officials. That’s democracy.