November 1st, 2024

Quebec Liberals call to investigate closures of French-language classes for newcomers

By The Canadian Press on October 26, 2024.

Quebec Minister Responsible for French language Jean-Francois Roberge during Question Period Thursday, October 24, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

MONTREAL – The Quebec Liberal Party is calling for an investigation after reports that some French-language training courses for newcomers have been cancelled.

The party’s official opposition critic for immigration, French language classes and integration says he sent a letter to the province’s French language commissioner to “ensure that the right to French learning services” is being respected.

The Liberals are blaming the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s budgetary decisions for the closures, adding immigrants will have a harder time becoming fluent in French and integrating into Quebec society without the classes.

In several interviews this week, Quebec’s Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge blamed school service centres for the closures, saying his government has actually increased budgets for French-language courses.

The Quebec government has also come under fire from Ottawa, with federal Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos saying on Friday that the $750 million the federal government is spending to help the province with newcomers is not being “fully used.”

The closures come at a time of increased demand for the classes, with Quebec currently hosting around 600,000 temporary immigrants.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2024.

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