In just two months this spring, the number of adults registered for francization in the Quebec network reached 26,656, compared to 34,060 for the entire 2023-2024 fiscal year. An unsustainable pace in the eyes of the Legault government, which has restricted funding for francization courses, forcing the cancellation of more than half of them in some places.
“The enthusiasm for francisation is very real,” stressed the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) in response to questions from the DutyThe latter counted 26,656 adults registered for French-language training during the first two months of the 2024-2025 financial year, namely April and May.
The Quebec government is currently in the hot seat because of the budgetary restrictions it imposed in June on the school service centres (CSS) which provide these courses.
From 2019 to 2024, the annual budget for francization in CSS increased from $69 million to $104 million. To stop this increase, the Ministry of Education announced that it would not fund courses that have been newly offered since last year. As a result, up to half of the francization courses that were to begin at the end of August had to be cancelled in some cities.
“We’re down by half compared to last year,” laments Carl Ouellet, president of the Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles (AQPDE), which represents leaders of several CSSs in Montérégie, Capitale-Nationale, Chaudière-Appalaches and Bas-Saint-Laurent.
Elsewhere, in Lanaudière, the CSS des Affluents has also had to reduce its French language course offering by 50%. “There are 200 people registered […] “We had to call” to tell them the news, said his spokesperson, Éric Ladouceur. As a result, some 20 teachers who found themselves without a full job were also laid off.
It’s even worse in Montérégie. At the CSS des Patriotes, the number of courses offered increased to seven this fall, whereas it was previously 20.
Cuts with variable effect
However, the course offering has not been changed in the same way everywhere.
In Sherbrooke, for example, the local CSS preferred to maintain last year’s pace, at the risk of having to make more radical cuts later. “Rather than cut equally throughout the year, we preferred to start strong, even if it meant cutting later,” explains Donald Landry, Director of General Secretariat and Communications Services for the CSS of the Sherbrooke Region. Therefore, he says, “if the file remains as is, it is possible that there will be no francization in the fourth session.”
In French, the sessions last 10 weeks. The first, which begins at the end of August, ends at the end of October. The fourth session begins in April.
Elsewhere, priority was given to students who were already taking courses last year. “We have not closed groups for students already taking French language training, but we are limited in opening new classes,” said the spokesperson for the CSS de la Beauce-Etchemins.
In some places, it is indicated that no reduction in the francization offer has been planned: this is notably the case at the CSS Marie-Victorin, in Longueuil. How is this possible? The president of the AQPDE, Carl Ouellet, suggests that some CSSs could have made cuts in “professional services” in order to maintain francization courses. And since francization falls under adult education in CSSs, it is possible that other types of courses have suffered from Quebec’s decision.
In Montreal, where the course offering is the largest, school service centres have not wanted to quantify the effects of the restrictions on their francization course offering. Despite the imminent start of the school year, the CSS de Montréal says it is “exploring various solutions” with its “government partners”. The decision of the CSS Marguerite-Bourgeoys has not been made either. “Additional funding will be necessary to accommodate the anticipated number of students in francization,” writes its spokesperson. “If necessary, we will have to evaluate the various possible options to ensure our service offering.”
Distraught students
What happens to students? The government says that options are available to them through Francisation Québec, the government agency that has been coordinating francization since 2023. “The Francisation Québec team responsible for planning the course offering and referencing closely monitors the capacities of all partners, including the CSS,” says the MIFI.
“When a centre reports that it has reached its capacity, the team refers students to other partners with capacity, whether they are CSS, CEGEPs, universities or non-profit organizations. Continuous monitoring is also provided to ensure a balance between supply and demand,” they continued.
However, this statement is not confirmed everywhere on the ground.
For example, a teacher from a suburb of Montreal, who requested anonymity because she is not authorized to speak to the media, said that the local CSS is the only organization in her area that offers French language courses. She also said she received messages from distraught students. “They wrote to tell me they didn’t understand why I didn’t want to have them in my class anymore. They don’t understand what’s going on.”
According to a worker at the management of a CSS in the Quebec region, who also requested anonymity for the same reasons, students learn by simple email that they will not be able to take French language courses as planned. “We told them that due to exceptional circumstances, there is no room. We did not get many answers, but they do not understand everything.”
The “switch” mentioned by Francisation Québec in its discussions with The Duty also seems to be experiencing failures. In Quebec, one of the main providers of French language courses is the Cégep de Sainte-Foy. However, the educational institution says it has not observed any increase in demand for these courses.