Keeping the Door Open for Young English-speaking Adults in Québec : Language Learning in English Schools and Centres

During a committee hearing in April 2015, Premier Philippe Couillard responded to a question from Mr. David Birnbaum (MNA for D’Arcy-McGee) about “what our government has done and plans to do to ensure that young anglophone Quebecers are full and valued participants in building our future,” by saying that he wanted to hear from the English-speaking community. About the same time, then-Minister of Education Bolduc asked the Advisory Board on English Education (ABEE) to advise him on how to encourage English-speaking youth to remain in Québec. In May 2016, Premier Couillard identified the English educational sector as a model for the system as a whole, and the Board proposed some reasons for this success in its most recent brief. It should be noted that students in the English sector achieve this success while receiving instruction in two languages from kindergarten onward. The ability to function in two languages is recognized as a crucial socio-economic skill for young Anglophones, and has an impact on their decision whether or not to stay in Québec. How can the education system contribute to developing this skill? This brief is respectfully presented to the Minister of Education with recommendations that respond to this question.