An open letter to anglophones
We have followed with great interest and concern the various initiatives undertaken by many anglophone parents to keep the early immersion program in place in New Brunswick. We applaud their various initiatives and we have decided that the time has come for francophones to take a stand and voice our support.
As is well known, early immersion has been in Canadian schools for more than four decades and Canada's immersion model has been exported to many countries. As is also well known, New Brunswick has long been perceived as a leader in promoting early immersion and as a model for English-French relations for the rest of Canada. The province's bilingual character defines New Brunswick and has given the province a competitive edge in attracting new economic activities, some would even argue that it constitutes our main competitive advantage.
This explains why members of the national media have been scratching their heads, trying to understand why New Brunswick would wish to turn back the clock. If the government proceeds with its plan, Canada's only officially bilingual province will stand out as a province without an early French immersion program.
The government's intention to eliminate early immersion, initially at least, was based on an extremely flawed and now completely discredited report - the Croll/Lee report, which, if nothing else, proved extremely expensive to New Brunswick taxpayers. It is still not at all clear for New Brunswickers what has and continues to motivate the government of New Brunswick to pursue its plan to eliminate early immersion. None of the arguments advanced by government officials are very convincing, and leading experts from both our English and French-language universities have been highly critical of the government's plan to eliminate early French immersion. New Brunswickers are being asked to embrace a new approach without any assurance that it will work. The gamble is too high given what is at stake.
The issue is extremely important to New Brunswick and its political and economic future, and we strongly recommend that the government of New Brunswick take the time necessary to review the matter in detail.
At a minimum, the government of New Brunswick should accept the recommendation made by various groups and individuals to delay the elimination of early French immersion until September 2009 to enable a thorough review of the issue and allow a meaningful public engagement process.
JACQUES BOUCHER
Architect
BERNARD CYR
President-CEO
Cyr Holdings Inc.
MONIQUE IMBEAULT
Lawyer
McInnes Cooper
RODRIGUE LANDRY
Institut canadien de recherche sur les minorités linguistiques
Université de Moncton
JEAN LANTEIGNE
Executive Director
Association des crabiers
LOUIS LAPIERRE
Environmentalist
VIOLA LÉGER
Former Senator
DENIS LOSIER
President-CEO
Assomption Society
GEORGE MARCOUX
Economic Development Specialist
CHRISTIAN MICHAUD
Lawyer
Cox and Palmer
LISE OUELLETTE
Executive Director
Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick
RODNEY OUELLETTE
CEO and Director of Discovery
Atlantic Cancer Research Institute
SENATOR PIERRETTE RINGUETTE
The Senate
JACQUELINE ROBICHAUD
Widow of Former Premier Louis J. Robichaud
ANDRÉE SAVOIE
Acadian Construction
DONALD J. SAVOIE
Chaire de recherche du Canada en administration publique et en gouvernance Université de Moncton
JEAN-CLAUDE SAVOIE
Group Savoie
MARIO THÉRIAULT
President-CEO
ShiftCentral
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Comments (22)
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If we are to avoid a play on titles, lets stay with French/English or Anglophones/Francophones,or Anglos/Francos. Fair is fair, it's the Canadian way...isn't it?
I doubt it would be a 'tres bien' or a thumbs up.
At the beginning of this controversy, I was hearing a lot of criticism of Mr Lamrock. Now, however, the criticism I hear is of Premier Graham. People keep asking me where he is hiding and why he can not control the illogical and erratic Lamrock. People ask me: is he the Premier or not. Who is in charge of the government.
My information is also that a large number of Liberal MLA are opposed to the changes and made their feelings known at a very raucous caucus meeting in Fredericton. It is time for the Premier to act before Mr Lamrock destroys both the government and the Liberal Party.
I doubt very much that this group met and discussed EFI. This stinks of media manipulation by the vocal minority.
7) We have the shortest hours in the country for early grades. One hour less a day for 185 days is 185 hours less of instruction that our children are receiving.
8) Replace school days lost due to snow days or other reasons at the end of the school year. Our children are supposed to get 185 days of instruction. They should get it.
9) Other provinces have EFI and get better results than we do. Why.
10) We would be the only bilingual province in Canadae and no EFI.