Without a French-language high school, parents in Ottawa have filed a legal challenge against the Ontario government. They believe that their language rights are not being respected and demand a “firm commitment” and quickly.
“If you had told me that one day I would have to go to court so that my children could have access to education in French, where I live, I think I would have lost my mind,” says Task one of the three applicants, Patrick Clermont.
Mr. Clermont and two other members of the steering committee of the Community Regroupment for a French-lingual Secondary School Ottawa-Centre sent a notice to Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce on April 23. After receiving no response, a month later, last Thursday, they signed a motion appealing to Mr. Lecce and the Eastern Ontario Public School Board (CEPEO).
The applicants believe that the lack of a French-language secondary school in the Ottawa Center sector is a “violation” of section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom. The latter guarantees, in particular, French speakers in minority groups the right to educate their children in their language and obliges the provinces to finance schools when a sufficient number of students warrants this.
The group claims that at least 1,655 children aged 12 to 17, whose parents are claimants, live in the area. “We can really demonstrate in a very objective way that there is a real need, and that if this school were built, the students would follow very quickly,” Mr Clermont underlines.
A “missing link”
According to the father, it is “one minute before midnight” to fill this “missing link”.
“The case law is very clear that we must act in a timely manner with Article 23, because childhood only lasts as long as it lasts,” says the applicants’ lawyer, Mr.e David Taylor. “We are not moving towards a major process as we have seen in certain corners of the country,” he said, hoping that the approach anchors the decision to finance the project “in the Constitution” and allows distance “from the considerations of the politicians.”
Residents of the area, which includes the neighborhoods of Glebe, Westboro, Little Italy and LeBreton Plains, can enroll their children in four French-language elementary schools. On the other hand, there is a lack of opportunities at the secondary level, and schools in neighboring areas “are far away and full,” the group wrote in its notice. Students often end up at one of the seven English-speaking establishments in the area.
“It is a homogeneous French-speaking school and has a double mission: that of education in French, but also that linked to culture, which is very important,” explains Mr. Clermont. “Every cohort that leaves the 6e years equates to a loss of children in the French-speaking system,” laments Jennifer Larocque, also a member of the group’s steering committee.
“We absolutely need a response this year,” she says, emphasizing that funding is “just the first step in a process that could take years.” The group, founded in 2019 and which resumed its activities in 2022 after a pause marked by the pandemic, hopes that a new public high school will open its doors by 2028.
Looking for a solid commitment
“What we are looking for is a firm commitment from both parties within a specific timetable,” says M.me Larocque. “We all have children who have to go to this high school. We would really like to see them go to school in their neighborhood, in their community, in French. »
Even though the group acknowledges that CEPEO has “done its part” by asking the ministry to “support the construction” of the establishment, Mr Clermont believes that the school board is not presenting “nothing concrete”. For its part, CEPEO claims that “the case of the city center high school remains a priority,” but refuses to comment on it because it has now been brought to court.
Contacted by The dutyMinister Lecce’s spokesperson, Isha Chaudhuri, confirmed – in English only – that the Ontario government is “committed to protecting and developing French-language education across the province,” including a reference to the $1.3 envelope billion announced in the 2024 Ontario budget for the construction of new schools. But Mr Clermont fears this “incredible opportunity” is disappearing.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.