French learning curve for anglo West Island MNA

It's been a year since West Island Liberal MNA Greg Kelley audaciously tabled an opposition member's bill in the National Assembly to amend Quebec's French Language Charter to establish free French instruction for anyone who resides in the province.

I commend his effort, which can help anglophones and immigrants improve their prospects in Quebec. However, it comes as no surprise the Coalition Avenir Québec government has yet to act on this olive-branch proposal.

Last Friday, Kelley stood up in the National Assembly to ask when his year-old draft bill might see the light of day. Kelley, who mentioned he speaks French with an accent, has received some praise for his efforts. Simon Jolin-barrette, the minister responsible for language, said it's a good idea, then noted CAQ MNA Christopher Skeete had a similar idea after touring the province. Skeete is parliamentary assistant to Premier François Legault on relations with English-speaking Quebecers.

However, there's still no timeline for when this potential convergence of good ideas over improving access to French language instruction for all Quebecers might be put into practice.

Kelley, who represents the Jacques-cartier riding formerly held by his father Geoff Kelley, said he hoped to enshrine free French instruction services for all Quebecers, instead of simply allocating funds for a program or project that could be overturned by a new government or future austerity measures.

Improving language skills is something many West Islanders have been seeking for decades. For instance, the Lester B. Pearson School Board has evolved its French immersion programs over the years; most elementary school students either follow a 50-50 bilingual program or an 80-20 French-to-english split. I believe West Island parents expect their children, upon graduation from a Pearson school, to be fluent in French.

Many anglophones recoil when language inspectors target small businesses after anonymous complaints, or when the province attempts to void a longstanding English educational institution, from transferring a high-school building to the French sector without adequate consultation to eliminating elected school boards.

The CAQ government, elected just over two years ago, has had mixed dealings with the English-speaking community.

The CAQ'S plan to abolish English school boards is being challenged in court. The government flip-flopped on holding English school-board elections during the pandemic, postponing the Nov. 1 vote, setting a Dec. 20 date, then postponing elections indefinitely.

This fall, Quebec announced an extra $5 million for the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) to enforce the French language charter, particularly within businesses. This was, of course, followed by reports of upset small business owners in Montreal who said they were being harassed by the OQLF.

Last month, when the Lester B. Pearson School Board stepped up with $500,000 to buy 420 air purifiers for 16 older school buildings that are naturally ventilated, I questioned whether the Legault government had spent too much effort and money encouraging the OQLF to crack down on small businesses and eateries, instead of prioritizing school ventilation upgrades during a pandemic.

Perhaps there is some wiggle room between opening the charter and making sure education is properly funded, not just for language programs aimed at new arrivals but for anyone living in Quebec whose mother tongue is not French. This would better serve promoting French than language policing and issuing warnings or fines to small businesses.