The Quebec Liberal Party has requested that the province’s French language commissioner investigate the cancellation of French-language training courses for newcomers. The party believes that ongoing closures of francization programs are jeopardizing the ability of immigrants to learn French within a timeframe that would facilitate their integration into Quebec society and the job market. The Liberals are blaming the Coalition Avenir Québec government for these closures, citing budgetary decisions that have led to cuts in French-language programming in various regions of Quebec. The Opposition party has sent a letter to the French language commissioner asking for an investigation to ensure that the rights of newcomers to access French language learning services, as outlined in the Charter of the French Language, are being respected.
Quebec’s Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge has placed the blame for the cancellations on school service centers, stating that his government has actually increased budgets for French-language courses. However, reports indicate that education centers have been forced to cut back on programming due to budget constraints imposed by the province, resulting in teacher layoffs and program cancellations. The closures have led to longer wait times for French language study, with some individuals being required to travel long distances to attend classes. The Liberals have expressed concern over the government’s ability to fulfill its obligations under the Charter of the French Language, and feel that an investigation by the French language commissioner is necessary to address these issues.
The cancellations of French-language courses come at a time when there is increased demand for these classes in Quebec, as the province currently hosts around 600,000 temporary immigrants. The federal government has allocated $750 million to assist Quebec with newcomers, but Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has stated that these funds are not being fully utilized. Duclos emphasized the need to invest in francization services to help new arrivals reach their full potential. The Quebec Liberal Party believes that the government is struggling to provide newcomers with the right to learn French and has called for an investigation by the French language commissioner to address this issue.
Federal-Provincial relations have been strained recently, with Quebec requesting more power and funding from the federal government to deal with the influx of newcomers. The Coalition Avenir Québec government has faced criticism from Ottawa for its handling of the situation. The Quebec Liberal Party has not specified whether they would increase French-language budgets to address the ongoing cancellations of courses. French language commissioner Dubreuil had previously estimated that it would cost billions of dollars for all temporary immigrants to complete intermediate-level French training, but the Liberals believe there are ways to improve the deployment of resources and prevent service breakdowns. The party has called on the commissioner to investigate the cancellations and ensure that newcomers have access to the French language learning services they are entitled to under the Charter of the French Language.
