This evening I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone at the LBPSB who has been working diligently to prepare for the 2026-2027 school year from every angle. It is only May, but there are many processes which much be in place prior to the end of June to enable decisions that must be made before the August start-up of a new school year. You will hear about some of those decisions this evening.

I would also like to provide a different kind of report tonight. We have heard recently about the intention of the current government to push ahead with the extension of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) regarding English eligibility to the Adult and Vocational Sectors. Last week, the Montreal Gazette published an op-ed piece I had submitted to explain how detrimental this will be to the learners and the school boards, and more specifically at the LBPSB. I would like to share the original draft with you now:

Each spring at the Lester B. Pearson School Board we celebrate our students who are adult learners. These students may be studying in the Health sector, working toward certification as a PAB (Préposé aux bénéficiaires), an LPN (licenced practical nurse) or a Pharmacy Technician. They may be studying in Construction and Design, acquiring the competencies to work in the sectors of Electricity, Plumbing and Heating or Building Maintenance. Or Automotive. Or Culinary Arts and Food Services. Or Secretarial, Administration, or Accounting. The list of opportunity goes on. Each student who registers in one of the LBPSB vocational programs has a story. A moving story. Is it the story of the student who struggled in the youth sector and never graduated with a high school diploma but is now excelling in a vocational program? Is it the story of the single mother, who was homeless because she didn’t have the means to pay rent and support her child working in a minimum wage job, who is now about to graduate with a promising career on the horizon in the Health sector?  Is it the story of a student with a particular need who has revealed their passion, skill and advanced ability as an auto mechanic? Is it the moving and heartwarming story of the unbelievable perseverance of Sylvie, Patience, Charles, Michel, Xiu Ying or Carlo? Is it the story of the adult mum, dad, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle or friend in Adult Education who proudly walks across the stage at the end-of-year convocation to receive their high school diploma – the person you might not have known had never had that chance, but now has a second chance and an opportunity to experience a sense of pride and accomplishment, along with a giant boost of self-esteem.

Many of those stories may soon come to an end if the CAQ government moves forward with an extension the Charter of the French Language Bill 101. Once the barriers are erected, if this proposed bill passes, access to English vocational and adult education in Quebec, for students without English eligibility, will be denied. They will be “redirected” to the French system under the false assumption that this is the only pathway to their “francization” and integration into Quebec society, culture and institutions. If this bill passes into law, approximately 55% of student enrollment in this sector at the LBPSB could be affected. Many students would have to return to Adult Education in the French system to acquire the pre-requisites to study in “French mother tongue”. Some could never achieve this requirement in the short term, directly affecting their adult lives, and their ability to become qualified to contribute to the work force. On the other hand, certain programs in English Vocational education already have minimum French pre-requisites - Secondary 3 FSL, for example, while others already require Secondary V FSL. It is naïve of the CAQ government to assume the English system does not graduate bilingual students who will easily be able to integrate into Quebec institutions and society. Removing opportunity and probability of success for “non-historic” Anglophones, who may not have access to a program in the French system, or whose dreams are quashed in an instant, is callous and indifferent. There is no consideration for the human, the person, at the heart of this poorly thought out manoeuvre.

It is not only students who will be left on the sidelines. For example: we will lose teachers, support staff, professionals and administrators who work in program-specific fields. We will lose certain programs if the numbers diminish. We will lose investment in infrastructure. We will lose the ability to invest in adult and vocational education. We will lose the ability to help shape and change the lives of students who have already faced challenges and hardships beyond our imaginations. There will be little gain as imagined by Minister Roberge, a teacher, who should know better than to place roadblocks for learning, evolving and succeeding in education, regardless of the learner’s age.

Imagine if these eligibility barriers had been in place when the Quebec government was pleading with adult learners to enroll in accelerated PAB programs during the Covid-19 long-term care crisis? They were the angels then. Their grace, humanity and passion is disregarded now.

There has been debate in Quebec over extending Bill 101 to the adult sector for decades. There are so many valid reasons this has not happened. Even one of Quebec’s most passionate Separatists and 26^th Premier of Quebec, Jacques Parizeau, believed the state should not restrict the freedom of choice of adults. The current CAQ Premier and her government should open their hearts and minds and think about the lives of the people they will be damaging rather than prioritizing an agenda which only serves their political ambition.