Wanting to take advantage of the new version of the official languages law, national organizations, politicians and citizens will meet in two weeks in Ottawa to build together a “new chapter in education in the Canadian Francophonie”, which should make it possible to “energize the “lifelong learning”.
“Francophones in minority situations in Canada face challenges to their fulfillment and development,” says the Network for the Development of Literacy and Skills (RESDAC), which organizes the National Summit on Learning for the Francophonie Canadian.
On average, 52% of French-speaking adults in a minority situation “experience difficulty reading texts or writing on a daily basis.” Figures which allow us to “better understand the phenomena of assimilation and linguistic insecurity”, as well as the “threat weighing on the vitality of” French-speaking minority communities.
In 2023, the network fought to have an amendment adopted to section 41 (3) of the new official languages law, so that the “federal government commits to strengthening opportunities for French-speaking and English-speaking minorities to engage in quality learning, in formal, non-formal or informal contexts, in their own language throughout their lives, particularly from early childhood to post-secondary studies.
This legislative addition aimed to recognize that learning is accomplished “throughout life”, both within educational establishments and at work or at home. “By adopting this amendment, the federal government has set the tone. It’s now up to us to play,” declared RESDAC president Mona Audet.
Last year, the network developed, with its 11 partner organizations of the National Table on Education, a “custom-made skills framework for the Canadian Francophonie”. This focuses on “citizen engagement”, “identity affirmation”, “living together” with the majority and people from immigrant backgrounds, as well as “literacy”. The network now wants to bring together national organizations, school boards, politicians and families to establish “how everyone can play their role,” says its general director, Denis Desgagné.
“We have been so busy managing formal issues that we have often fallen between the cracks of the non-formal,” he says, adding that in this sector, there “is a lot of funding that comes from the federal to the province, but which does not come to the French-speaking communities.”
The event, which will take place from March 4 to 6 at the National Arts Center in Ottawa, is a first in the country. It will take place “under the patronage” of the Canadian Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.