English-Language Education in Québec : A Response to the Task Force on English Education

It is the responsibility of the Minister of Education to ensure quality in the educational services provided by the education system to the population of Québec. It was with the objective of ensuring quality service to English-speaking students, that a task force on English education was mandated in September 1991 to examine four key areas of concern: the decline of the English school population, the situation of small schools, vocational education and the exodus of young English-speaking Quebecers. The English-speaking community has always been and continues to be an integral part of Québec society. It reflects the important diversity that has always been present in Québec, a diversity that offers strength and an outward-Iooking vision. English institutions not only give valuable service but also play an important role in developing leadership in the Québec community. These institutions deserve support and young anglophone Quebecers must feel that their schools are responsive and dynamic institutions which are changing with the times. English schools must provide these young people with, not only a knowledge of their past but also a vision of their future in Québec.