After criticizing Mayor Valérie Plante’s “no thanks”, Minister Jean-François Roberge sent her a text message. The message: I had no choice, sorry, but we continue to work together.
The anecdote puts into perspective the rumors of tensions between Montreal and the Legault government.
True, the unqualified support of the mayor of Montreal for McGill and Concordia universities went badly. But despite everything, both camps ensure that the relationship remains constructive.
The Caquistes may well dream of a town hall passionately defending French, that will not happen and they know it. In Montreal, no party or candidate meets this profile. Not today, not in previous elections, and probably not in the next ones either.
For meme Plante, the protection of French seems to be more an imposed figure than a deep conviction. However, even if the enthusiasm is not always there, she does this work most of the time.
During the public hearings on the reform of the Charter of the French language, his criticisms were reasonable. She wanted to extend the short period – six months – granted to new arrivals before being served only in French. She also wanted to exempt line 311 from this requirement.
Since Projet Montréal came to power, all boroughs – including those in the West Island – have received certification from the Office québécois de la langue française.
Mme Plante also created a position of French language commissioner in 2021. Another proof of the relative good understanding: like her predecessor, the new commissioner Noémie Dansereau-Lavoie is a former advisor to Mr. Roberge.
The mayor also set up an advisory committee to monitor the implementation of her action plan. With members as credible as Louise Beaudoin and Louise Harel, she did not ask for complacency.
Its action plan comes with a slogan: Montreal, French-speaking metropolis of the Americas. This symbol is important. It shows that Montreal is not giving in to the steamroller of globalization in English.
And this is precisely why his “no thanks” pitifully missed the target.
The CAQ took English-speaking universities by surprise by announcing its reform after a brief consultation. The initial version, which increased tuition fees from $9,000 to $17,000 for students from other provinces, broke with Canadian reciprocity. These visitors saw their studies overcharged in Quebec, while the opposite is not true.
The new rate, at $12,000, partially reduces this deficit. Still, the inequity remains. Proposals from McGill and Concordia, such as fee modulation, were also ignored.
Part of the discontent against the CAQ can therefore be explained. Butme Plante went much further. She deplored that Quebec did not respect the unfavorable opinion of the advisory committee on its policy. However, this notice was given after the legal deadline of 30 days and after the announcement was made official.
Mme Plante was also concerned about the decline in applications for admission to McGill and Concordia.
However, these are only requests. At McGill, barely a tenth of admission applications are accepted. We cannot yet conclude that there will be fewer students on campus next fall. And if that were the case, a question would remain: is it because of the measure itself or the alarmist way of talking about it?
The mayor suggests that English-speaking universities are discriminated against. However, their attendance and funding far exceed the demographic weight of the English-speaking community. In fact, the majority (56%) of all infrastructure spending in Quebec for higher education goes to just two universities: Concordia and McGill. The latter receives free of charge a coveted piece of land on the side of Mount Royal, that of the former Royal Victoria Hospital.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The campus of McGill University, in Montreal
Mme Plante is more discreet when it comes to denouncing the underfunding of the French-speaking network. She also chose not to say anything about francization. The CAQ target: that 80% of graduates from other provinces have achieved oral French proficiency (the modalities are not yet known). Is this an attack on Montreal or an invitation to discover the official language of the city where we are staying and help to settle there subsequently?
The implicit message of Mme Plante was that in Montreal, everything happens in French, unless we want to revitalize the city center, unless we want to develop the economy, unless we want to shine…
The reform of Law 101, adopted in May 2022, is only just beginning to be implemented. For example, the components on commercial signage and French in SMEs will come into force next year.
The selection of permanent immigrants has been modified and the criteria for temporary immigration may change. The new report from French Language Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil will also increase the pressure.
The last phase of the plan should notably focus on education and art so that French is more than a communication tool used on demand.
If we truly believe in diversity, this means that the common language – the one from which people from different cultures communicate – does not have to be the same everywhere. In Toronto, it’s English. In Montreal, French.
To remind you, the mayor has an important role to play. And despite her recent rant, she can still do this work, in collaboration with Quebec.
reference: www.lapresse.ca