Quebec wants to exempt some Indigenous students from new French language law

The Quebec government wants to create an exception in its newest French language law for Indigenous students.

Less than a month after two First Nations groups filed a court challenge against Law 14, also known as Bill 96, the minister responsible for the French language has proposed to allow students to graduate from CEGEP — the province's junior college system — even if they do not pass the written French exam required by the Education Ministry.

To qualify for this exemption, an Indigenous student must meet the following conditions:

• The student is studying at an English CEGEP.
• The student lives — or has lived — in an Indigenous community.
• The student has studied in English or an Indigenous language — or both — for at least one year of elementary school or high school.

The exemption was published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on Wednesday with a notice that it would take effect within 15 days.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Jean-François Roberge, the minister responsible for the French language, said the exemption shows that the province's plan to strengthen French will be carried out while respecting Indigenous communities, their languages and academic experiences.

On Thursday, the First Nations Education Council, which filed the court challenge last month along with the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, said it wants to review the province's proposal before commenting.

Chief John Martin of the Mi'kmaq community of Gesgapegiag, which is located near Quebec's border with New Brunswick, says he was caught off guard by the rule change. 

He said community leaders met last month with Ian Lafrenière, the province's minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit, but hadn't heard back since.

"It's been like radio silence since then," he said, adding that groups would have preferred some kind of notice prior to the rule being made public on Wednesday. 

"When you're developing policy or legislation that affects First Nations, we need to be consulted at the very beginning."

The chief, who is also a member of the education council, acknowledged that the exemption looks like a step in the right direction, but he echoed the council's stance that the rule needs to be analyzed further.

Law 14 also requires students in English CEGEPs to take five French language courses in order to graduate. No exception was proposed for this requirement.

Law 14, which was passed last May, has sparked concerns that it infringes on the rights of English-speaking Quebecers and Indigenous communities.

The law has since become the target of court challenges.