(Quebec) Impossible to impose courses in French for English-speaking students, at least in the short term, concludes the Liberal opposition, which had nevertheless originally proposed this measure.
Posted at 6:20 p.m.
The Liberal Party (PLQ) thus took a step back on Thursday, following the exit of the Fédération des cégeps.
The CAQ government’s Bill 96, currently under consideration, has been amended to incorporate the Liberal proposal and provides for the obligation to take three French courses. It could be adopted before the end of the parliamentary session.
However, the president of the Fédération des cégeps, Bernard Tremblay, estimates that thousands of students would fail to obtain their diploma, according to what Le Devoir reports.
In a press scrum Thursday morning at the National Assembly, the Liberal leader, Dominique Anglade, was called upon to react, since her party had proposed in 2021 to improve French courses in English-language establishments.
“In the short term, no (it can’t be implemented),” she replied.
Mme Anglade first sees a lack of consultation from the CAQ government.
She said she was “surprised” because there was no exchange, according to her, between the minister responsible for the Charter of the French language, Simon Jolin-Barrette, and her colleague from Higher Education, Danielle McCann, on this issue.
“The first thing to do is to sit down with the CEGEPs,” continued the Liberal leader.
It would also be necessary to discuss with the secondary schools, so that everyone in the end is on the same wavelength, she added.
The president of the Fédération des cégeps argued that 35% of the 29,000 students enrolled in the five English-speaking colleges have insufficient command of the French language.
The imposition of courses in French could condemn thousands of students to failure against a backdrop of “social crisis”, he suggested.