Photo: Jacques Boissinot Archives The Canadian Press The “poor management of francization” by the Coalition Avenir Québec “penalizes immigrants and considerably harms our economy,” according to one of the spokespersons for the Liberal Party of Quebec on francization and language, Madwa-Nika Cadet .
Isabelle Porter in Quebec
Published yesterday at 2:06 p.m. Updated yesterday at 7:50 p.m.
- Quebec
The government only has itself to blame for the lack of funds allocated to francization, according to the Liberal Party, which is urging Quebec to respond to the alarm signals sent out in school service centres (CSS).
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The “mismanagement of francization” by the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) “penalizes immigrants and significantly harms our economy,” denounced the spokespersons for the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) on francization and language, André A. Morin and Madwa-Nika Cadet, on Tuesday.
“Learning French must be a real priority beyond the fine words of the CAQ government,” declared the two elected officials, in writing.
The MNAs for Acadie and Bourassa-Sauvé were reacting to the revelations in Devoir on the shortfall in funding granted by the government to CSSs that provide francization courses.
The change in the method for calculating subsidies has led some centres to prepare to restrict access to new students when they return this fall.
The office of Education Minister Bernard Drainville countered that this stems from “the pressure placed on our public and community services by temporary immigration” which is “unsustainable”. From 2019 to 2024, the budget for francization in school service centers (CSS) increased from $69 to $104 million.
« Asylum seekers are obviously not to blame, it's a problem created by the federal government”, also mentioned Minister Drainvile's team.
In a document obtained by Le Devoir, the Ministry of Education (MEQ) explains that the subsidy is less than expected because the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) did not transfer enough funds this year to compensate for the increase in requests.
The two ministries are “continuing” their discussions “in order to resolve this issue of increasing French-speaking customers”, the Ministry of Education.
The PLQ urges the government to ensure that these exchanges are successful. “The MEQ and the MIFI must agree on the transfer of sums and thus prioritize this issue rather than looking for scapegoats,” he argued on Tuesday.