Sarah Holland
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 26/02) - French immersion students had John Ralston Saul all to themselves for two hours last Thursday.

French immersion students Lucie Senechal, left, and Johannie Mercure took part in a national conference in Whitehorse in April and were among the many students spending the morning with John Ralston Saul last Thursday. - Sarah Holland/NNSL photo

The students and Saul gathered at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre to discuss French immersion, culture and lifestyles.

Saul, a distinguished Canadian writer and vice-regal consort as the spouse of Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson, herself a former journalist, says French students are a minority and face different challenges than students in English-only schools. Although immersion students may experience pressure to conform, getting used to these difficulties with be a strength in the future, he said.

"Immersion students learn a lot about flexibility and inclusivity," said Saul.

The French model of dealing with and strengthening a minority culture could serve as an example for the North, he said.

Bridget McLeod is a Grade 11 French immersion student at Sir John Franklin high school. After participating in Saul's presentation at NACC, McLeod said she thinks being in French immersion "opens you up to more cultures, makes you a more open person."

Sarah Bannon, a classmate of McLeod, said she thinks Saul's an interesting speaker.

"He talked about everything ... in a really relaxed way and like he actually cares about students in French," she said. "I was impressed that he didn't take French in school but is bilingual and seems like a Francophone."

McLeod and Bannon thought one of Saul's prominent messages was the importance of multiculturalism.

"I felt like a minority in younger grades, but not so much anymore," said Bannon.

Opportunities for French students

Saul is the founder and honorary chair of French for the Future (FFTF), an organization that promotes French language and culture. Every year FFTF hosts conferences in cities across Canada. In 2002, Whitehorse was the Northern city included in the event.

Ecole Allain St-Cyr students Lucie Senechal and Johannie Mercure were two of seven Yellowknife participants who travelled to Whitehorse for two days in April.

Twelve Canadian cities were linked via satellite and French immersion students were able to interact and pose questions to their peers in other cities.

"They asked questions like if there's racism between the French and English, and how the French is here," said Mercure, a Grade 9 student.

"Being with other French people, with different accents too, was a nice experience," said Mercure.

Senechal and Mercure also enjoyed their morning with Saul last week.

"It was fun to meet someone who knows lots of things," said Senechal. "His answers weren't just yes or no."

"I felt really special," said Mercure, who came away thinking that she may have better job opportunities because she's bilingual.

Both girls said they would like to learn other languages: Spanish for Mercure and Slavey for Senechal.

Yellowknife is one of the select cities for French for the Future's April 2003 conference.