Quebec slashes assistance for part-time French courses, launches ad campaign to promote French

The Quebec government has chosen to reduce financial assistance for individuals enrolling in part-time French-language courses, while allocating $2.5 million for a new advertising campaign encouraging Quebecers to use more French.

Support for child and disabled dependent care will still be available, and Francisation Québec courses will remain free.

Carl Ouellet, president of the Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles, representing school principals, noted that waitlists for French-language courses are growing.

"We can't open more groups due to a lack of funds. We don't have enough subsidies, and that's unfortunate because in recent years, more immigrants have come to Quebec," Ouellet said. "We want workers who speak French."

Ouellet added that while training centers and schools are ready to welcome newcomers, they struggle to provide francization services due to limited resources. He also expressed concern about the ongoing staff shortages across Quebec.

"The labor shortage will worsen with the added challenge of finding French-speaking workers," he said, emphasizing that many workplaces require employees who can speak French. "It's a significant problem for our society right now."

Additionally, the provincial government has updated the eligibility criteria for financial support for businesses. Wage compensation for workplace francization will now focus on businesses with fewer than 100 employees in Quebec.

New Campaign to Promote French

A new TV, radio, and print advertising campaign will run over the next ten weeks, with some ads in English but the majority in French.

The ads feature various people, such as a barista, a store clerk, and a taxi driver, saying "bonjour" instead of "bonjour/hi," a bilingual greeting that has sparked controversy for years and continues to frustrate many Quebecers, including politicians.

French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge emphasized the collective responsibility of Quebecers to speak French and to expect to be spoken to in French.

"French, a proud and strong language, will regain ground and reclaim its place," Roberge said, explaining the campaign’s message, which will also appear on boards at the Bell Centre, in an interview with Radio-Canada.

However, Roberge acknowledged that this campaign alone won't be enough to halt the decline of the French language.

"Don't think we're relying solely on this campaign. It complements the government's broader initiatives to finally reverse the decline of the French language," he said, referring to the government's $603 million investment in preserving the language.

His office did not respond to CBC's request for comment.

Ouellet, however, found the new initiative to be "paradoxical."

"He's aware. He was the former Minister of Education, so he knows the state of the francization file," Ouellet said. "We're not playing politics. We're here to provide services to the community and to those who come to our centers. It's disappointing to see this in the media today."