New Brunswick decides against proposed French education plan
The New Brunswick government has done an about-face when it comes to French language instruction in the province.
In a news release Friday, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan said the province will not proceed with a proposed 50/50 framework where students would spend half of their day taking instruction in English and the remainder of their day in French.
"I really thought the framework we announced was a great idea,” Hogan told reporters. “I still think that in certain cases it could work really well, however, what we found out was that it's not in the best interest of all our children."
The minister says that in light of the change, French immersion registration will be reopened for Grade 1 students.
Public consultations on the government’s proposal held over the past several weeks were both combative and divisive, with many of those participating objecting to the 50/50 proposal.
A summary of results from the consolations will be released in “the early spring.”
The province says a stakeholder group will be established to determine what happens next.
The group will consist of the New Brunswick Teacher’s Association, experts within the education system and parents.
“This is not the end, but the beginning of what will be positive and lasting change,” said Hogan in a Friday news release.
Parents across New Brunswick who came out in the thousands during the consultations are pleased to see the results.
"This is a wonderful step. I am relieved that the voices of the people were heard by the premier and by Minister Hogan,” said parent Christina Robichaud. “We could not be happier.”
While pleased with the decision, the opposition is concerned about what's next.
"Obviously there are still challenges in our school system and that was very clear from the consultation,” said Megan Mitton, Green Party MLA for Memramcook-Tantramar.
“We heard from teachers, we heard from experts, we heard from parents, so now's the time to make investments in our schools, make improvements that we heard about in the consultations."
The group Canadian Parents for French says it now plans to focus on initiatives supporting French immersion instead of advocating for it.
"With regard to offering tutoring services and any other programs that we're able to bring from experience and the rest of Canada into New Brunswick to help out and bridge that gap,” said Chris Collins, executive director of Canadian Parents for French New Brunswick.
With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hackers release corporate data stolen from London Drugs
Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Approximately 50 Montreal-area students — the vast majority of them female — were suspended Wednesday after their school deemed the shorts they were wearing were too short. On Thursday, several students staged a walk-out to protest what they believe is a "sexist" dress code that unfairly targets girls.
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
What is 'slapped cheek disease' and should parents be concerned?
Despite its rough name, experts say most cases of 'slapped cheek disease' are mild and not a cause for concern.
Unknown Newfoundland soldier from the First World War heads back home from France after 100 years
Canadian soldiers and government officials arrived in northeastern France this week for a historic mission: returning an unknown Newfoundland soldier back home.
American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Rapper Sean Kingston's home raided by SWAT; mother arrested on fraud and theft charges
A SWAT team raided rapper Sean Kingston's rented South Florida mansion on Thursday and arrested his mother on fraud and theft charges that an attorney says stem partly from the installation of a massive TV at the home.