A Montreal manufacturer with 1,000 employees will no longer be able to offer francization courses in the workplace after having had a subsidy from the Department of Immigration cut, has learned The duty. This is the second time that clothing manufacturer Peerless, which has offered French lessons for more than 20 years, has been forced to close its program, considered a “model”.
“I am so discouraged. French shouldn’t be a privilege, it’s a right,” said Mario Ayala, vice-president of the Teamsters (FTQ) union branch. “I have always done my best to [la francisation] works and I got so many testimonials from people that it helped. […] I fought once and I will fight again,” Mr. Ayala continued.
In 2016, The duty had revealed that francization courses at Peerless Clothing had been canceled due to lack of funds. At the time, the union called on a non-profit organization — and not the Department of Immigration — to hire French teachers. It was the Labor Market Partners Commission (CPMT), fed by a fund to which employers are legally required to contribute, that paid an annual grant of $100,000 to Peerless to cover the salaries of teachers and the minimum wage for employees attending the course.
After the publication of the article of To have to, then immigration minister Kathleen Weil had relaunched classes in less than two weeks by dipping into her own department’s funds to pay a teacher’s salary. However, the minimum wage allowance for employees has not been reinstated.
End of the subsidy
Last July, when he called the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) to find out when classes would resume after a pandemic break, Mario Ayala did not expect to be told that this type of program was no longer subsidized. He regrets that Peerless Clothing was simply invited to direct its employees to a website to consult the list of organizations in Montreal offering part-time courses.
According to him, people clearly prefer to take courses in the workplace, because they do not have to travel again. “There are mothers of single-parent families or people who live far away. It is easier for them to take the course in the cafeteria after their day’s work,” explained Mr. Ayala. He estimates that the program has already had more than 50 students enrolled in four daily classes. According to him, at least thirty people are currently interested.
Originally from El Salvador, Mario Ayala, who himself went through a francization program 35 years ago, is a fervent ambassador of French courses in business. A few months before the ax fell the first time, the Department of Immigration had awarded him the Mérite en francisation des personnes immigrantes.
Released in 2019, the documentary Language at work, produced by the FTQ and funded in part by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), has given pride of place to his history and the importance of the program he carries at arm’s length within Peerless Clothing. . Having always had Vigneault’s language at heart, Mr. Ayala even recently filmed promotional videos for French for the OQLF.
To start over ?
In interview at To have to, the director of human resources of Peerless does not take off. “Honestly, we’re not just disappointed, we’re frustrated. […] I have worked in several companies in the past, and not many of them take the time to set up such programs. We have been doing it for 20 years and it is being taken away from us! lamented Danny Sorrentino.
” [La francisation] is a gateway for immigrants to integrate into Quebec culture. Some have access to promotions with us or go to other companies because they were able to learn French here. And we are happy with that! »
As suggested by MIFI, Peerless Clothing must now turn to the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity (MTESS), which manages francization programs in the workplace. However, Mr. Sorrentino does not digest that he was left to orient himself in the maze of the Services Québec website. “It’s like telling us, ‘Get online and start over. Tell your employees that they have to do the steps themselves if they are interested in taking French lessons.” »
He deplores the fact that he did not receive a notice informing him that the program was ending. And above all, having to struggle to bring back a francization program “which was working very well”. “We just want to have French lessons in our company, as before,” said Mr. Sorrentino.
He says he spent “hours” on the phone and on the Internet looking for information and a responsible person who could take care of his request. “I want people to say to me, ‘Danny, these are the people you need to talk to.’ Instead, we are sent links and pages from the website. »
For its part, the MIFI confirms that, since 2015, it no longer funds francization in the workplace. However, he maintained a few “historic” projects, including the one with Peerless. “The MIFI is willing to look at the avenues of solutions with the company to meet the needs of its workers,” said Arianne Méthot, spokesperson for the ministry. “Given that this is a historical partner who was receiving services before the pandemic, it is possible to [relancer] the course offer by properly assessing the needs sought and the interest of the company. »