Teachers criticize timing of Quebec's new ad campaign after budget cuts
CAQ government invests $2.5M in new ad campaign to promote French
Kkritika Suri
Teachers are criticizing the Quebec government's decision to launch a $2.5 million campaign promoting the use of French, calling it contradictory given recent cuts to funding for French courses.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government recently reduced financial support for part-time French-language courses and scaled back funding for francization programs to levels from 2020-2021, despite an increase in the province's immigrant population since then, says Olivier Houle, a history and French teacher.
Houle expressed frustration, saying, "The government has been using immigrants as scapegoats for various issues, but it's those already here, trying to contribute to society, who are being penalized." While he supports the campaign's message, he argues that the timing is poor. "I don’t think the $2.5 million should have gone to this campaign when services are being cut. For eight years, the CAQ government has been full of contradictions," Houle added.
His colleague, Amilie Girard, pointed out that finding a good job without speaking French is "really hard." She said immigrants want to learn French but need more opportunities to do so. Girard emphasized the importance of speaking French in Quebec, as highlighted by the new ad campaign.
Girard hopes the government will reinvest in French-language courses. Both she and Houle noted that the number of French-language classes at their school dropped from nine last year to three this year. After January 24, anyone wanting to learn French in the lower Laurentians will have to travel further north as local services will be unavailable.
On Tuesday, French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge defended the funding cuts, stating that reallocating resources from part-time courses will help open more classes. In a written statement, Roberge's office said more people have been "francized" since the launch of Francisation Québec, and the aim is to serve 15,000 more people by 2025 while reducing waiting times.
Despite the cuts, financial support for childcare and disabled dependents will remain, and Francisation Québec courses will still be free.
Carl Ouellet, president of the Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles, expressed concern about the impact on the workforce, noting longer waiting lists for French courses. "We can’t open more groups because we lack funding. With more immigrants arriving, we need workers who speak French," he said. Ouellet also fears the labour shortage will worsen as businesses seek employees proficient in French.
The government's financial assistance for businesses has also been adjusted, with wage compensation for workplace francization now focused on companies with fewer than 100 employees.
The ten-week campaign will feature TV, radio, and print ads—some in English and others in French—urging people to say "bonjour" instead of the bilingual "bonjour/hi." The controversial greeting has long been a point of contention for many Quebecers, including politicians.
French Language Minister Roberge said Quebecers have a collective responsibility to insist on speaking French. "French, a proud and strong language, will regain its place," he said, adding that the campaign will not reverse the decline of the French language on its own. The initiative is part of the government’s broader $603 million investment in preserving the language.
Ouellet described the new campaign as "paradoxical," pointing out that Roberge, a former education minister, is well aware of the challenges in francization. "We’re here to provide services to the community, and it’s unfortunate to see this playing out in the media," Ouellet said.
