The Quebec Liberal Party has asked the province’s French language commissioner to investigate the cancellation of some French language training courses for newcomers.
Citing an “ongoing series of Frenchization program closures,” the opposition party announced Saturday morning in a press release that its critics of the French language and French classes, André Albert Morin and Madwa-Nika Cadet, they sent a letter to the Commissioner of the French Language.
The letter asks Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil to “investigate to ensure that the right to French language learning services, included in the Charter of the French Language, is respected,” according to the statement.
The Liberals blame the budget decisions of the Coalition Avenir Québec government, which they say “jeopardize the possibility of immigrants becoming francophones within a time frame that would facilitate their integration into the labor market and Quebec society.” “.
In interviews this week, Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge blamed school service centers for the closures and said his government had increased budgets for French courses.
However, media reports this week described schools being forced to cut their programming due to budget restrictions placed on them by the province, which has also caused teachers to lose their jobs.
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“These cuts have led, in recent weeks, to the cancellation of French courses, especially in the regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Capitale-Nationale, Eastern Townships, Laval, Laurentides, Mauricie and Montreal,” the statement reads.
Aside from the cancellations, the Liberals say the average wait time to study French full-time has recently doubled to four months, while those enrolled are sometimes forced to travel hundreds of kilometers to attend classes.
“There is an impression of disorder which suggests that the government is unable to fulfill its obligations under the Charter of the French Language,” said the letter sent to the Commissioner on Friday night.
The closures come at a time of increased demand for classes, as Quebec currently hosts about 600,000 temporary immigrants. Quebec has repeatedly asked the federal government for more powers and funds to deal with the surge in newcomers, but the CAQ’s leadership has also come under fire from Ottawa.
Federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement Jean-Yves Duclos said Friday that the $750 million the federal government is spending to help the province with new arrivals is not being fully used.
“It is absolutely necessary to invest the necessary sums in Frenchization,” said Duclos. “If we want newcomers to be able to reach their full potential, we have to offer them the right services.”
Cadet said the government is clearly fighting to guarantee the right to learn French.
“So, in our opinion, the commissioner should have the mandate to investigate this, and that is why we wrote this letter to him,” Cadet said, but did not say whether his party would increase French-language budgets.
Last February, Dubreuil declared that it would cost all temporary immigrants between $10.6 and $12.9 billion to complete intermediate-level training in French.
Cadet responded by saying, “I don’t think we’re in that kind of scenario. “I think there is a way to better implement the offer and ensure there are no interruptions in service.”
–With files from La Presse Canadienne
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
