SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Despite a court battle that deemed the status quo satisfactory, Education Minister Alfred Moses has committed to review the policy that only allows students with living francophone relatives to attend French school.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is tasked with reviewing the 2008 French Language First Directive, which states only students with living francophone relatives are entitled to attend territorial French schools, including Allain St. Cyr in Yellowknife. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo

A years-long court battle between the commission - which operates Allain St. Cyr school in Yellowknife and Ecole Boreale in Hay River - and the GNWT ended late last year when the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the commission's case, which in part sought control over admissions.

Cloutier says it's because of this some may be surprised to hear word of a review, but he was not.

"I think that the new government and new department and minister are aware about our situation right now," said Cloutier, adding the commission was tipped off to the department's intentions to review the policy about a week ago.

"When we met them (last month) that was the first thing we talking about," he said. "And a lot of parents from Hay River have sent their concerns regarding that policy (to the department)."

Cloutier said the review of policy determining who gets to attend the district's schools - promised by Moses in a March 7 press release - won't have a huge impact on Allain St. Cyr, but could save Ecole Boreale from catastrophe. Cloutier said that school is suffering from low attendance and would see a huge boost in enrolment if the 2008 French Language First Directive was amended. Under the current directive, only students with living Francophone relatives can attend, and so countless Metis youth - whose ancestors spoke French but are not related to living French speakers - are barred, preventing them from helping to increase the school's dwindling enrolment, said Cloutier.

"In 2008, the number (of students at Ecole Boreale) was 115 students, and now it's 85 or 83," he said. "It would be pretty easy to think that school will be down to 50 or 60 students in the future. I think the minister did realize that, and he said ... he's going to look at all the school boards across Canada to see (how they determine admissions)."

Cloutier said, according to commission research, theirs is the only district in the country whose admissions are governed by a ministerial directive of this type. Cloutier said Moses gave the department until the end of June to come up with a recommendation.

Cloutier said he isn't sure if there are Metis youth in Yellowknife who might be able to attend Allain St. Cyr if the directive changes in the commission's favour.

"The difference up here (in Yellowknife) is people who want to bring some French culture in their family, they can go to other schools that have French immersion programs," he said.

Moses departed for Nuuk, Greenland on March 3, for the Arctic Winter Games, and won't return to the territory until the March 29, according to cabinet spokesperson Andrew Livingstone.

In his statement released March 7, Moses announced the department would carry out a "comprehensive review of the 2008 directive, before the end of the 2015-2016 school year."

"I would like to thank all the parents and families who have written letters to the department about their concerns with the French-first language education programs and enrolment of students," he wrote.

In 2012, two NWT Supreme Court decisions ordered the GNWT to provide more space to the francophone schools.

The decisions were partially overturned in 2015, and the French district lost the power to determine who is admitted into its school system. The French district hoped the Supreme Court of Canada would hear their appeal but the top court declined.

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