Hanes: Young Quebecers are pawns in political chess match over CEGEPs

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No aspect of Quebec’s proposed legislation to strengthen the French language has generated more outrage from the English-speaking community than provisions affecting CEGEPs.

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That’s saying a lot considering Bill 96 will not only curtail access to English services in health care, education, justice and municipalities, but give the Office québécois de la langue française extrajudicial search and seizure powers, enshrine the collective rights of francophones above the individual rights of minorities, and shield it all by preemptively invoking the notwithstanding clause.

But the human toll of the legislation on CEGEP students has finally driven home that Bill 96 is less about protecting French and more about scapegoating English-speaking Quebecers. The sense among many Anglophones is that the next generation is about to become collateral damage in a resurgence of the old language wars.

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One amendment in particular – proposed by the Quebec Liberals, no less – ignited public fury like no other. It was a last-minute proposal, made without consultation or notice, adding a new requirement for anglophone students to take three core program courses in French in order to graduate. But college administrators quickly warned it would doom some young English-speakers to failure or lower their marks when applying for university, thus dimming their future prospects.

Facing a backlash and consternation from educators, the Liberals tried to underdo the damage by seeking a revocation of their ill-considered modification. Simon Jolin-Barrette, Quebec’s Minister in charge of the French, lorded it over them for a few weeks before brokering a compromise. Young anglophones will now get to choose between taking three additional French as a second language courses or taking three other courses in French — on top of the two French classes they already have to take.

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It’s a slight improvement, although it seems to mean more grammar and less critical thinking at a time when young adults should be expanding their horizons or exploring new interests.

An amendment to an amendment is hardly sound education policy — especially for a measure that was not on the radar when the original text of the bill was drafted. Now it only deepens confusion over what other courses will have to be sacrificed to fulfill this new requirement, intensifies fears among professors about whose jobs may be on the line, and sows more chaos within English institutions.

Little notice has been given to the fact francophone and allophones attending English colleges will have to take the same exit exams as their peers at French CEGEPs. Presumably this means they’ll also take fewer English classes and more French courses, defeating the purpose of studying there in the first place and further compounding job losses.

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All the horse-trading underscores that young Quebecers — anglophones, francophones and allophones, alike — are pawns in a political chess match.

The Parti Québécois wants Bill 101 applied to college-level studies, taking umbrage at the number of francophone and allophone students who choose to study in English when they finally have the chance. Language Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette decided to impose an irreversible enrollment cap on English CEGEPs instead, finding a back door to limit freedom among students without eligibility certificates while ghettoizing anglophones. The Liberals and Québec solidaire have been trying to leave their marks on Bill 96, too — although Liberal Leader Dominque Anglade now says her party will vote against it.

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No one involved in this tug of war has answered the qQuestion who are you?: where, pray tell, is Quebec going to get the instructors to teach all these new college-level French courses? There’s already a shortage — at the primary level as in secondary, in French schools as in English ones. School boards are searching high and low to try and recruit, even going abroad to fill the gaps. (But candidates with religious garb need not apply).

Jolin-Barrette couldn’t resist a jab at young anglophones in his supposed show of mercy.

“The Liberal Party highlighted the unacceptable level of the mastery of French youth in the English system,” he tsk-tsked. He didn’t acknowledge that difficulties may stem from learning disabilities or the level of French instruction in public schools. Nor did he recognize that many anglophone students do graduate from immersion programs—or even French schools—fully bilingual.

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Funny how no one is talking about the quality of French being learned by francophones these days. When he presented his brief on Bill 96, Karl Blackburn, the president of the Conseil du patronat, referred to research showing 53 per cent of Quebecers between the ages of 18 and 64 can’t read or are functionally illiterate. He called the fact French is so weak among francophones “a national catastrophe” that demands immediate redress.

But, no, it’s anglophones — and immigrants, don’t forget immigrants! — who are the problem. Bilingualism among francophones — or multilingualism among allophones — is not a societal richness to cherish, but a threat to the vitality of French.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose—as young Quebecers are quickly learning.

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