Minister won't revisit French enrolment
MLA suggests closer collaboration with francophone district to develop new rules
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, October 28, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The education minister says he won't revisit a recently changed enrolment policy for two French schools - for now.
Kevin O'Reilly: Frame Lake MLA disappointed by minister's approach. |
On Oct. 19, when the legislative assembly gallery was packed with French educators and students, Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly asked the minister to reopen the issue only months after a new policy was issued that loosened the previous rules.
Education, Culture and Employment Minister Alfred Moses said the decision won't be revisited, citing what he said are low enrolment figures at the schools and consultations carried out already.
"I committed, when I took this position, to review the ministerial directive, I did that. I think it's better than what it was when we first started this government," he said.
"I was disappointed to hear that," O'Reilly said in a later interview. "I guess I had hoped that the minister would be open to further discussions around this issue. I think there's still an opportunity here to develop a more collaborative approach toward the francophone community."
The directive replaced one initially imposed in 2008 that limited enrolment at Allain St. Cyr school in the city and Ecole Boreale in Hay River operated by the Commission scolaire francophone des Territories du Nord-Ouest.
Canadians have a right to French education outside Quebec if their first language is French, or if their parents were educated in French. They're often called rights-holders. Children can also become rights-holders if an older sibling was educated in French.
The new policy allows non-rights holders who are francophone immigrants, immigrants who speak neither English or French and children whose families have lost the French language back to their grandparents to be enrolled in the French schools.
But along with this loosening of the rules, it established a cap. If the schools hit 85 per cent of their capacity, then those non-rights holders would be barred from enrolling.
"When we get to those utilization rates, and to prevent us from going to the courtroom ... then perhaps we can look at revisiting it then," Moses said.
Earlier this month, Francophone school district superintendent Yvonne Careen said Allain St. Cyr is near its capacity already. The school's capacity is set to grow with the court-ordered addition of a gym as well as new classroom space.
O'Reilly pointed to Yukon, where a more collaborative approach was taken when developing a new admissions policy.
"All the parties agreed on the result and nobody had any unpleasant surprises," O'Reilly said in French in the assembly. "This is not the case where we were concerned."
The minister said the department consulted before drafting the changes, changes he believes were improvements.
