In the amended version of Bill 96 “on the official and common language, French” defended by Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, there is an obligation for students in English CEGEP to pass three courses in French in their discipline.
It is good to recall the origin of this amendment. In February, during the detailed study of the bill, the Minister tabled an amendment requiring that a student who is not an English-speaking rights holder and who therefore holds a diploma from a French secondary school must follow and pass three courses in French in his field of study. As this same student must also pass the uniform French test, like students enrolled in a French CEGEP, this requirement is perfectly justified. It could even contribute to success in the uniform test, without which the student cannot obtain his college diploma (DEC).
However, when the amendment was being studied, the Liberals presented a sub-amendment so that eligible parties, that is to say students who come from the English school system, could also “benefit” from these three courses in French. It must be said that among the 27 proposals on language that the Liberal leader, Dominique Anglade, presented — without however the members of the party debating and approving them — we find this measure aimed at offering these courses in French in each program. of study to all English CEGEP students. The Liberal members, no doubt of the opinion that young English-speaking Quebecers are the champions of bilingualism in all categories, as was affirmed in parliamentary committee by representatives of the English-speaking minority, including the director general of the Association of English-Speaking School Boards of Quebec, Russell Copeman, may have thought that this requirement would only highlight the linguistic excellence of students from English schools.
However, this obviously did not pass as a letter in the mail within the natural electorate of the PLQ. The next day, Dominique Anglade withdrew his support for Bill 96. The Liberal Party, despite the 27 proposals that still adorn its website, no longer has a strong language policy.
In an interview given to Homework, the president of the Fédération des cégeps, Bernard Tremblay, decried the Liberal amendment. He predicts that the requirement, if maintained, would condemn thousands of students to failure and prevent them from obtaining their DEC, a situation that could lead to a “social crisis”. Even if Mr. Tremblay is alarmist, his concerns are real.
According to data compiled by the Federation, more than 35% of some 29,000 English CEGEP students are enrolled in French as a second language upgrading courses. It can be assumed that students who have attended the French school do not, for the most part, have to submit to these remedial courses. Since they account for half of the students in English CEGEP, this means that 70% of students from the English school do not have sufficient knowledge of the common language. For Bernard Tremblay, it is clear that these rights holders do not master Molière’s language well enough to pass three courses in French.
The Federation provided the Homework data on faltering French students for a few programs whose graduates are in high demand. If the government goes ahead with the requirement of courses in French, positions in areas where labor is scarce will not be filled.
Thus, the CAQ government is grappling with labor shortages in daycare services. However, more than 85% of students in Early Childhood Education Techniques do not reach a minimum level in French. In Laboratory Techniques, the proportion exceeds half, while in Computer Science, the percentage rises to 47%.
What is singular is that in training programs relating to the field of health, where proficiency in French should be a condition of employment, the number of students with an insufficient knowledge of French is high: we speak of 57% in Nursing techniques and 37% in Respiratory therapy techniques.
If we sometimes complain about the poor quality of teaching English as a second language, we should probably look into the quality of French taught in English schools. Now that Simon Jolin-Barrette has succeeded in confronting the Liberals with their inconsistency, he should ask his government to improve the teaching of French in English secondary schools before prematurely applying a thoughtless Liberal measure.