The promotion of lifelong learning is an “emergency” in the face of the decline of Francophones outside Quebec, warn leaders of the Canadian Francophonie, who believe that the new Official Languages Act could be further “enriched”.
“I think of all the work that remains to be done, but we will have to find ways to do it quickly, because we do not have decades ahead of us if we want to continue to live in French, study in French, learn in French,” declared the president of the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities (FCFA) of Canada, Liane Roy, at the conclusion of the National Summit on Learning for the Canadian Francophonie.
Brought together by the Network for Literacy and Skills Development (RESDAC), nearly 300 representatives from educational, government and community institutions met from Monday to Wednesday at the National Arts Center in Ottawa.
What emerged from the discussions was a greater need for collaboration between institutions, which will serve to create “learning communities”. Some participants spoke of competition between organizations in the same province, which “steal programs” from each other and which, ultimately, harm the diversity of services offered to citizens. The president of RESDAC, Mona Audet, therefore called for “partnership work”. “Silos don’t work anymore. The cutlery prints will be left in our offices. »
Giving learners a voice
Francophones in minority situations in Canada face “challenges of fulfillment and development,” affirms RESDAC. “Most competency frameworks […] were designed for the majority […]and do not take into account the issues of community vitality and the learning challenges specific to the French-speaking minority,” indicated the organization in its draft final declaration, at the end of the summit.
He adds that “community support” is often necessary to “compensate” for the lack of diversity in the continuum of services and learning resources in minority settings.
On average, 52% of French-speaking adults in a minority situation “experience difficulty reading texts or writing on a daily basis.” Omer Caissie was one of them. The New Brunswicker, member of a family of 15 children, “had to leave school at the age of 14”. At 32, when he started his own family, he could neither read nor write, he confided to Duty.
When the time came to read stories to his children, he would invent a story based on the illustrations. “But when they started to know how to read, I couldn’t make a fuss anymore. I realized that it was time to open my eyes as a father, to break the vicious circle. »
Mr. Caissie broke it well. Broken, even. One of his daughters is a teacher at the French school, and his granddaughter “just finished university, at 22,” he says proudly. The person who today knows how to read well, but who sometimes still struggles to write, was also the first representative of learners to the Canadian French Literacy Federation, which became RESDAC, in order to “speak for people who cannot not “.
Thanks to his involvement, he “learned self-esteem” and to “take his place”. Invited by the RESDAC to present the Omer-Caissie prize to a learner, he deplores not having had enough opportunity to express himself within the framework of the summit, confiding to have felt “pushed to the side, like when I was in the school that pushed me aside.” “I think people are not ready to give way to learners. »
Enrich the Official Languages Act
In its new Official Languages Act, the federal government “is committed to strengthening the opportunities for French-speaking and English-speaking minorities to obtain quality learning.” […] in their own language, throughout their lives.” But the new text can still be “enriched”, believes Liane Roy.
It is now time to “work together” to “define the elements of the amendment”, she says. “If we go before a judge, it must be clear to everyone that there are all kinds of forms of learning. »
The FCFA has also not ruled out the need to create a law dedicated to lifelong learning. “It’s perhaps a law a bit like that of C-35 [la Loi relative à l’apprentissage et à la garde des jeunes enfants au Canada] what we need,” she declared.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.