This text is part of the special Francophonie booklet
With its bill 96, the CAQ proposes a reform of the Charter of the French language (the famous “law 101”). But some professors believe that this does not go far enough.
It was in January 2021 that a few CEGEP teachers founded the group Pour le cégep français. “With colleagues who witnessed the worrying linguistic dynamics in the college network, we decided to form this group of professors,” says Yannick Lacroix, professor of philosophy at Collège de Maisonneuve.
Since the 2010s, several data indicate a significant increase in attendance at English-speaking CEGEPs, notes Sébastien Mussi, also a philosophy professor at Maisonneuve, and member of the group.
Stop the bleeding
For the past few months, the members of the group have been working to ensure that as many unions as possible come out in favor of extending Bill 101 to CEGEPs. The members would have hoped that the government would take advantage of the reform of the Charter of the French language to include CEGEPs, in the same way as primary and secondary schools. This extension would continue to protect the rights of the Anglophone community, while reducing access to Anglophone CEGEPs for Francophones and allophones.
“Bill 96 demonstrates an awareness, but it will not reverse the trend,” argues Mr. Mussi, who notes that the vast majority of students who attend a CEGEP in English pursue their university studies in English, and even their career.
“French is once again becoming the language of intimacy, but is not used in places of power and money,” he says.
“For us, Bill 96 is not enough. It does not solve the problem at the root, which is the overcrowding of English-speaking CEGEPs, particularly in the Montreal region,” notes Mr. Lacroix.
So far, 14 local unions have come out in favor of extending the school clauses of the Charter of the French language to the college level, from Montreal to Rimouski, via La Pocatière and Saint-Jérôme. A dozen others will vote soon. If the professors of the fifty Quebec CEGEPs express themselves clearly in favor of a broader reform, the unions will have to carry the will of their members to the government. “For some people, Bill 101 is scary. But you have to understand that its application would be progressive, and that we would do everything to protect jobs, ”says Mr. Mussi.
Strengthen French
Even if we restrict access to English-speaking CEGEPs, French-speaking CEGEPs still need to remain so. “It’s our second hobbyhorse,” explains Mr. Lacroix. The language of instruction in CEGEPs is not regulated by any law. Institutions therefore have the freedom to offer courses in the language they wish to attract a “clientele” fond of courses in English. “We must enshrine the French-speaking character of French CEGEPs in the law,” argues Mr. Lacroix.
Because protecting French at college is essential: “The CEGEP is one of the last sanctuaries of culture in French. This is where we develop our relationship to the world of ideas, where we write our first essays. It is central to the vitality of French,” he concludes.