Report to the Minister of Education of Quebec

A community's education of its young is one of the building blocks on which its future is founded. If it leaves the education of its young people ta others, others will eventually define its cultural values and choose its social priorities. The Task Force on English Education has approached its mandate from this perspective, a perspective it shares with the country's French-speaking minorities and especially with Quebec's French-speaking majority. A public school system is a fundamental instrument in the forging of a cultural, social, and economic identity. English-speaking Quebec is no exception to this rule. Its future is tied to its ability to inculcate in its children the strengths of the English-speaking community as weil as the desire and ability to function effectively in a predominantly French-speaking society. The challenge is great. It cannot be met by English-speaking Quebecers alone. There must be an acceptance by the whole of Quebec society that its English fact is of intrinsic value to Quebec. If the English-speaking community of Quebec is to continue to exist as a contributing component of Quebec's social, cultural and economic make-up, its schools must reflect the distinct character of its aspirations, traditions and potential.