Opinion: Quebec’s language requirements put First Nations students at a disadvantage

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“Education got us into this mess and education will get us out of it.”

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This statement , conducted in 2017 by the Honorable Murray Sinclair, is as timely as ever, and should be taken into account as Quebec legislators study Bill 96 , legislation to amend the Charter of the French Language.

While Sinclair’s statement points to the devastating effects of India’s residential school system and speaks to the complex history of First Nations education in Canada, it also conveys a message of hope. But if systemic barriers are not overcome through proper legislation, the future will be much less promising and all the hard work in this area will have been futile.

Bill 96 presents an opportunity to change the laws and practices that circumscribe the success of First Nations students in Quebec.

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A large proportion of our students are enrolled in the provincial system, outside of our communities, and are doing their best to obtain an education in schools where instruction in many cases is in their second language (the first is an indigenous language).

By virtue of Chapter VIII of the French language charter , no student will receive a high school diploma unless they meet the French proficiency standards set by the province. For French high school students, this means passing a standardized French test designed for native French speakers. Students in English schools must pass an exam in French as a second language, whereas for indigenous youth, French may be their third language.

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According to Chapter VIII.1 of the Charter, CEGEP students are also obliged to meet the requirements on the use and quality of the French language.

As one Atikamekw student recently pointed out to me precisely: “Indigenous students always have to work twice as hard to be successful.”

The consequences of language requirements in the Quebec school system can be quite harmful for First Nations youth, resulting in rapid disinterest in school among those who see themselves as be behind and ready to fail right from the start. They also feel undervalued in terms of their mother tongue . This can lead them to drop out of school prematurely, often a prelude to dropping out of school, which in many cases only reinforces isolation and marginalization among First Nations youth in Quebec.

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We often see the dream of becoming a professional, trader or entrepreneur becoming an impossible peak for young people, largely due to language requirements in existing law, which are not changed in the Bill. 96.

Furthermore, even though schools in First Nations communities are not subject to the Charter and Bill 96, the language requirements therein are an obstacle to hiring professionals to work in those schools. With Quebec facing a significant labor shortage in the education sector, First Nations communities see specialists in Ontario and New Brunswick, including speech-language pathologists, special education teachers and psychologists, as a source of services. much needed. However, the exemptions in the Charter of the French Language or in Bill 96 that would allow specialists from outside the province to practice their professions in our schools are too limited.

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Certainly, we can all agree that the school system is failing students when even one student drops out.

If the Quebec government sincerely wants to help First Nations students, reducing or fully applying an exemption to some of the language requirements that are maintained in Bill 96 would be a good start. This would not be detrimental to the development of the French language.

Education is essential to ensure the development and well-being of children, break the cycle of poverty and level the playing field.

With Bill 96 under clause-by-clause consideration by legislators, this is an auspicious time to remember that we all have a duty to ensure that the rules of the game in Quebec are fair to all and that they promote student success. of the First Nations. .

Denis Gros-Louis is CEO of the First Nations Education Council, an association representing 22 First Nations communities.