(Ottawa) The action plan on official languages already provides money for learning French as a second language, included in the additional $138 million allocated to the Anglophone community in Quebec. Minister Jean-François Roberge said he expected Thursday that this amount would be used for francization.
The Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, and Mr. Roberge had a discussion on this subject on Friday. “I felt open to responding to the concerns of the Government of Quebec and to continuing our discussions from an asymmetrical perspective to preserve French,” he commented on Twitter.
The Minister for the French Language and responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie had deplored not having noticed anything at first sight to protect French in Quebec when the plan was unveiled on Wednesday, while an envelope is reserved for the community. English speaker in the province. He asked that these sums be used for francization.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS
The Minister for the French Language and responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie, Jean-Francois Roberge.
The 138 million over five years includes sums from several programs and whose allocation will depend on bilateral agreements concluded between Quebec and Ottawa, indicated a source in the cabinet of Mr.me Petitpas Taylor who was not authorized to speak publicly. This is an estimate that will depend on Quebec’s requests.
This amount includes sums for French as a second language learning as well as for the recruitment and retention of French as a second language teachers, the details of which remain unknown for the moment.
It also includes money for education in English schools — a constitutional obligation of the federal government. Other amounts are earmarked for minority language services, post-secondary institutions and community educational infrastructure. These three envelopes have been used little or not at all by Quebec in recent years since these are programs that it must also finance at 50%, according to Minister Petitpas Taylor’s office.
However, the plan details the amounts for each program to be shared by all the provinces and territories. Only a new envelope of $2.5 million over five years for the arts, culture and heritage of the English-speaking community of Quebec is fixed.
The unveiling of the Official Languages Action Plan on Wednesday sparked controversy. Only a fraction of the 4.1 billion concerns the French language on Quebec territory. Quebec would like to have a bigger slice of the pie.
Bloc Québécois MP Mario Beaulieu denounced the fact that sums supposed to reverse the decline of French in the country are used for English in Quebec. “Quebecers wonder if the federal government has figures that prove that English is threatened in Quebec. Otherwise, why are the Liberals funding English in Quebec? he asked during question period on Thursday.
“The funding we announced yesterday does not fund English in Quebec,” replied Minister Petitpas Taylor. On the contrary, we are funding the vitality of the English-speaking community in Quebec with French courses and by offering them the help they need to find jobs. »
The federal government estimates that the English-speaking community of Quebec will receive 20% of this $4.1 billion through various programs.
With Tommy Chouinard, The Press