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Simon Cloutier<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n —<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul wakes up every morning before sunrise. By 6:45 a.m. he is on a bus, traveling through multiple districts on his way to his destination, more than an hour and a half away. At the end of the day, he embarks on the same trip back home. By the time he walks through the door, the sun is already setting. Paul is six years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Marie-Pierre Lavoie\u00a0\u00a0 Simon Cloutier **English version follows** Chaque matin, Paul se l\u00e8ve avant le lever du soleil. \u00c0 6 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communaute"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
**English version follows**<\/em><\/strong>
Chaque matin, Paul se l\u00e8ve avant le lever du soleil. \u00c0 6 h 45, il prend l\u2019autobus et traverse plusieurs quartiers pour se rendre \u00e0 son \u00e9cole, situ\u00e9e \u00e0 plus d\u2019une heure et demie de route. Le soir, il refait le m\u00eame trajet en sens inverse. Lorsqu\u2019il franchit enfin le seuil de la maison, le soleil se couche d\u00e9j\u00e0. Paul a six ans.\u00a0
Malheureusement, ce n\u2019est pas un cas isol\u00e9. Ce sc\u00e9nario est le quotidien de nombreux \u00e9l\u00e8ves francophones du Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF). Pour les familles qui souhaitent que leurs enfants re\u00e7oivent une \u00e9ducation en fran\u00e7ais dans cette province, trouver une \u00e9cole publique francophone \u00e0 proximit\u00e9 demeure un v\u00e9ritable d\u00e9fi.\u00a0
L\u2019article 23 de la Charte canadienne des droits et libert\u00e9s stipule pourtant clairement que les citoyens dont la premi\u00e8re langue apprise et encore comprise est celle de la minorit\u00e9 linguistique de leur province ont le droit \u00e0 une instruction primaire et secondaire dans cette langue. Ce droit fondamental ne rel\u00e8ve ni du d\u00e9bat ni de la convenance : il constitue une pierre angulaire de l\u2019unit\u00e9 canadienne. Le n\u00e9gliger ou le bafouer revient \u00e0 affaiblir les valeurs m\u00eames sur lesquelles repose notre pays.\u00a0
En Colombie-Britannique, le CSF \u2014 unique conseil scolaire publique francophone de la province \u2014 fait face \u00e0 des d\u00e9fis syst\u00e9miques que ne connaissent pas les districts anglophones. Alors que ces derniers couvrent des zones g\u00e9ographiques pr\u00e9cises et limit\u00e9es, le CSF, lui, doit desservir l\u2019ensemble du territoire provincial.\u00a0
Malheureusement, les infrastructures et le financement dont il dispose ne tiennent pas compte de cette r\u00e9alit\u00e9 unique. R\u00e9sultat : des \u00e9coles install\u00e9es dans des b\u00e2timents temporaires et des familles confront\u00e9es \u00e0 des choix irr\u00e9alistes.\u00a0
Les chiffres parlent d\u2019eux-m\u00eames : plus de 50 000 \u00e9l\u00e8ves sont admissibles \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9ducation en fran\u00e7ais en Colombie-Britannique, mais seuls environs 6 000 sont inscrits dans les \u00e9coles du CSF. Pourquoi pr\u00e8s de 90 % des \u00e9l\u00e8ves admissibles renoncent-ils \u00e0 recevoir une \u00e9ducation dans la langue de la minorit\u00e9 ? Parce que les obstacles \u2014 distance, manque d\u2019infrastructures, ressources insuffisantes \u2014 sont tout simplement trop lourds \u00e0 surmonter.\u00a0
Une \u00e9cole francophone est bien plus qu\u2019un lieu d\u2019apprentissage. Elle est un pilier culturel et communautaire essentiel. Lorsqu\u2019un \u00e9l\u00e8ve francophone n\u2019a pas acc\u00e8s \u00e0 une \u00e9ducation \u00e9quivalente \u00e0 celle offerte aux \u00e9l\u00e8ves anglophones, le message envoy\u00e9 est clair : le bilinguisme est un principe que l\u2019on vante en th\u00e9orie, mais que l\u2019on ne respecte pas dans les faits.\u00a0
Cela doit changer. En 2020, la Cour supr\u00eame du Canada a rappel\u00e9 que les provinces ont le devoir de garantir une \u00e9ducation en fran\u00e7ais r\u00e9ellement \u00e9quivalente \u00e0 celle offerte en anglais. Appliquer pleinement cette d\u00e9cision signifie : des \u00e9coles accessibles, des infrastructures ad\u00e9quates, et la fin de l\u2019injustice v\u00e9cue chaque jour par des milliers d\u2019enfants comme Paul. L\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9 r\u00e9elle ne peut plus attendre.\u00a0
Lors de la derni\u00e8re \u00e9lection f\u00e9d\u00e9rale, les droits des francophones en milieu minoritaire ont occup\u00e9 une place importante dans les d\u00e9bats sur l\u2019identit\u00e9 et la culture canadiennes. Le Parti lib\u00e9ral s\u2019est engag\u00e9 clairement \u00e0 \u00ab promouvoir l\u2019\u00e9ducation en fran\u00e7ais partout au pays en collaborant avec les provinces et les territoires pour investir dans les espaces \u00e9ducatifs et communautaires, notamment les services de garde et la petite enfance, qui desservent les communaut\u00e9s de langue officielle en situation minoritaire \u00bb.\u00a0
Cet engagement reconna\u00eet \u00e0 juste titre le r\u00f4le fondamental de l\u2019\u00e9ducation en fran\u00e7ais dans le renforcement du tissu culturel canadien. Il est maintenant temps que le nouveau gouvernement tienne parole, en investissant de mani\u00e8re concr\u00e8te dans l\u2019\u00e9ducation en fran\u00e7ais, pour soutenir et prot\u00e9ger nos communaut\u00e9s francophones d\u2019un bout \u00e0 l\u2019autre du pays.\u00a0
Nous croyons que le Canada est plus fort et plus uni lorsqu\u2019il reconna\u00eet pleinement les droits linguistiques comme un pilier de sa culture. Et nous appelons tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes \u00e0 en faire autant.\u00a0
Ce soir, lorsque vous borderez votre enfant, imaginez devoir le r\u00e9veiller demain avant 6 h pour qu\u2019il fasse trois heures de transport \u2014 simplement pour avoir le droit d\u2019apprendre dans l\u2019une des deux langues officielles du pays. Accepteriez-vous cela ?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marie-Pierre Lavoie<\/strong>
Pr\u00e9sidente, Conseil d\u2019administration du Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique
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Pr\u00e9sident, F\u00e9d\u00e9ration nationale des conseils scolaires francophones <\/p>\n\n\n\nIgnoring Linguistic Rights Weakens Canada<\/strong>\u00a0
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Sadly, this is not an isolated case. Paul\u2019s situation is the daily reality for several French-speaking students in School District 93, the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique<\/em> (CSF). For families seeking French-language education in British Columbia, attending a francophone public school in their neighborhood remains difficult.
Under section 23 of the\u202fCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,<\/strong> Canadian citizens “whose first language learned and still understood is that of the English or French linguistic minority population of the province in which they reside […] have the right to have their children receive primary and secondary school instruction in that language in that province.\u201d This essential right serves to preserve and promote minority culture in Canada. It is not up for debate. It is not an issue of convenience. It\u2019s a foundational norm of Canadian unity. To ignore or undermine this right is to compromise values that define Canada.
In British Columbia, the\u202fCSF \u2014 the province\u2019s only French-language public school district \u2014 faces systemic challenges unknown to English school districts. While other school districts serve limited, well-defined areas, the CSF serves the entire province.
The CSF\u2019s limited infrastructure and funding mechanisms do not reflect this unique reality and its obvious implications, which results in schools housed in temporary buildings and families confronted with unrealistic options.
The numbers tell the story. While over\u202f50,000 students\u202fin British Columbia are eligible for French-language education, only 6,000\u202fare enrolled in CSF schools. Why are close to 90% of eligible students choosing to forgo minority language education? Because for too many families, the barriers\u2014distance, lack of infrastructure, and insufficient resources\u2014are simply overwhelming.
French-language schools are institutions of learning, but they are also much more than that: they are irreplaceable cultural and community anchors. When francophone students do not receive the same access to education as their English-speaking peers, the message is clear: bilingualism is a principle we celebrate in words, but not in deeds.
This must change. In 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada reaffirmed the provinces\u2019 duty to ensure that French-language education is truly equivalent to that available to English-speaking students. Fully enforcing this ruling would mean accessible schools, proper infrastructure,<\/s> and, ultimately, an end to the injustice faced by thousands of children like Paul. Real equality cannot be delayed any longer.
In the recent federal election, the rights of francophones living in minority settings were central to discussions of Canadian identity and culture. In its platform, the Liberal Party clearly committed to \u201cpromote French-language educational pursuits across Canada by collaborating with provinces and territories to invest in educational and community spaces, such as early learning and childcare that serve official language minority communities\u201d. This commitment recognized the essential role that French-language education plays in reinforcing Canada’s cultural fabric. The time has come for the new government to fulfill its promises by ensuring meaningful investments in French-language education, thereby concretely supporting and protecting francophone communities across the country.
We believe that we are stronger and more united when we truly recognize linguistic rights as a pillar of Canadian culture, and we encourage all Canadians to see them as such.
Tonight, when you tuck your child into bed, imagine waking them before 6 a.m. tomorrow for a three-hour daily commute\u2014just so they can study in one of Canada\u2019s official languages. Would you accept this?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pr\u00e9sidente, Conseil d\u2019administration du Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique\u00a0\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pr\u00e9sident, F\u00e9d\u00e9ration nationale des conseils scolaires francophones\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"