Changing your mind: CEGEPs and Bill 101 | The Press

Three new arguments argue for Prime Minister François Legault to change his mind and decide to apply Bill 101 to CEGEPs. The first comes to us from CEGEP teachers, the second from demographers and the last from Mr. Trudeau.

Cegep teachers

A groundswell came from the base, from those who talk to young people every day: the teachers. On April 21, 2021, going against their national union, the teachers of the Cégep de La Pocatière took a stand in favor of the application of Law 101 to the Cégep. Eighteen months later, teachers from 39 out of 48 CEGEPs are asking Quebec to act.

Thanks to their mobilization, one after the other, last September, in the middle of the Quebec election campaign, the two largest unions of CEGEP teachers, the FEC-CSQ and the FNEEQ-CSN, changed their position. They are now asking Quebec to apply Bill 101 at home. It is extremely rare for union leaders to be disavowed by their base. It is all the more rare since, to achieve this result, the teachers had to mobilize from one end of Quebec to the other. They did it because the linguistic reality of young people worries them.

In recent years, young people have already been arriving bilingual at CEGEP. We should be happy with this individual bilingualism, the problem is not there.

Previously, young people in French-speaking CEGEPs were familiar with television, music and Quebec cinema, did not speak English to each other and did not speak to teachers in English. Today, because of social media, English music, American cinema platforms, etc., young people are in constant English immersion and they integrate into the Anglo-Saxon cultural universe.^⁠1… and the teachers react.

Demographers

The transition to CEGEP occurs at a crucial moment in the life of a young person. It’s the end of childhood, the transition to adulthood, the first important life choices. This is the time when one begins to prepare to enter the job market. This is the moment when identity crystallizes. This is the stage where, thanks to philosophy, literature, history, socialization, we complete our integration into Quebec culture. But there is danger in the house.

We now know, regardless of the indicator used, French is declining in Quebec and continues to collapse in Canada^⁠2. The college network is no exception.

There are 17.4% of English speakers on the island of Montreal, but 48% of CEGEP diplomas are awarded in English. Even more spectacular: two-thirds of the places in English-speaking CEGEPs are occupied by French-speakers. Corollary: English-speaking CEGEPs are short of places while there are 20,832 places available in the French-speaking network (2019-2020). Finally, 85% of young people who study in English at CEGEP continue their studies in English at university and they are 12 times more likely to work in English than other young people.^3⁠.

When Camille Laurin proposed Bill 101, at home and at school, children were immersed in French culture. This is no longer the case and Quebec institutions must adjust to protect our common cultural core. It is no longer an individual choice, but a societal choice.

Mr. Trudeau

The federal response to the Quebec government’s immigration requests was as quick as it was radical. It’s no. Ottawa tells us that Quebec has all the means to act and, above all, it shows no sensitivity to what concerns a good part of Quebeckers. Not a word about the setbacks of French, a file that interests no one in Ottawa^⁠4.

This brutal response from the Canadian government would in itself justify Quebec changing its mind about CEGEPs and deciding to apply Bill 101 to them. It is a powerful tool for protecting French, a tool clearly located in our areas of jurisdiction.

A strong majority like that of the CAQ must serve a purpose. “Political capital” is made to be spent. The Quebec government should change its mind and apply Bill 101 to CEGEPs. He has every reason to do so.

3. Regrouping for the French CEGEP