Indigenous leaders in Quebec continue to call for relief from Bill 96 after controversial legislation to revise the French Charter was passed on Tuesday.
Bill 96 will restrict the use of English in many public services as well as in the judiciary and will impose more restrictive language requirements on small businesses and cities.
It will also set a ceiling on the number of students who can attend English-speaking CEGEPS, as Quebec’s public colleges are called, and introduce French language requirements for graduation.
“We are really concerned that our students can enter the programs they want to take,” said Sarah Pash, chairwoman of the Cree School Board.
We are really concerned that our students can enter the programs they want. – Sarah Pash, Chair of the Cree School Board
Bill 96 will require a student attending an English-speaking CEGEP to take five French language courses in order to graduate.
Cree calls for release
Sarah Pash is the chair of the Cree School Board. (Submitted by Sarah Pash)
Pash said all levels of Cree Nation leaders are in active discussions on Bill 96 and share her concerns about the impact the new law will have on Cree Nation’s ability to hire its own people and meet growing human resource needs in the area. .
“We rely a lot on people from outside, people who are not Eeyou, who come to our territory and hold positions, professional positions, technical positions in all our sectors,” Pash said.
She called on the government of Francois Lego to give Cree Nation students an exemption from the bill 96.
“We think this is a very possible solution,” Pash said.
Inuit students are “set up” to fail
Harriet Keleutak is the principal of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the school board in Nunavik, the Inuit region of Quebec.
Like Pash, she expressed concern that without the release of more indigenous students from northern Quebec, they would either be “determined to fail” or choose to leave the countryside to continue after high school.
“It’s hard enough for them to leave home to go to the city and adapt,” Keleutak said.
The board released an open letter last Friday, asking for an exemption from Bill 96 for its students.
Harriet Keleutak, director general of the Kativik School Board, says Inuit students who choose English as their second language are “set to fail”. (CBC)
Currently, the average graduation rate of high school students in Nunavik is 23 percent. Only 3.5% of the Inuit population has a college degree. At the university level, 1.2% of the population has a certificate and 0.8% a bachelor’s degree, according to the board and the Quebec Ministry of Education.
Keleutak says Inuit students who choose English as their second language instead of French will arrive at CEGEP with zero knowledge of French.
“If they can’t study in Quebec, they will have to go to other provinces that provide higher education in English,” Keleutak said.
Protections in the local language
Both Kativik Ilisarniliriniq and the Cree School Board already have exceptions at the primary and secondary levels, which allows them to prioritize Cree Inuktitut and language teaching under the James and Northern Quebec Bay Agreement.
They also have an exception under the current French charter, both Pash and Keleutak said.
The exceptions allow both councils to control when French and / or English language training is introduced.
Keleutak says her advice gives priority to the Inuktitut up to 3rd grade and allows the student to choose French or English as a second language.
It will not be possible to learn French at this level.
Bill 96 will make it difficult for Inuit students who choose English to meet the new requirements for French at the college level, she said.
“He asks them to learn French when they reach higher education. It will not be possible for them to be able to study French at this level … They are already very, very far behind in French, “Keleutak said.
The minister toured the Cree and Inuit communities
Quebec Indigenous Affairs Minister Jan Lafrenier visited several Cree and Inuit communities last week before the passage of Bill 96. The tour touched on many issues, including Bill 96, according to spokesman Mathieu Duroscher.
The protection of French and indigenous languages does not contradict each other, he said.
“We all agree that indigenous languages and cultures must be respected and that their promotion must be encouraged. Bill 96 is not the right tool to address these issues, “Duroscher said in an email in response to a request for information.
Quebec Indigenous Minister Ian Lafrenrier visited several Cree and Inuit communities last week, including the Cemini community in Wemingji. (Twitter)
Durocher did not say if and when an exception could be made, but said the government continues to seek “concrete solutions” with local communities, adding that Bill 96 will not enter into force for another two years.
Although not part of the discussion during Lafreniere’s tour of the area, Cri Pasha’s school board chairman said he remained hopeful that a solution would be found for Cree students.
“[The Cree and Quebec] come to the table knowing that we have similar goals, “Pash said.
“We were both very concerned about protecting the language and maintaining the language from our own point of view.”
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