Patty Hajdu told a news conference that she was “concerned” to hear that Indigenous leaders believe the language law, known as Bill 96, will have a negative impact on the rights of First Nations children to be educated in their language and culture of choice their. “We can’t put up barriers for kids trying to reach their full potential, including barriers that include language,” Hajdu said. “We will continue to stand by and stand up for the leaders I have the opportunity to work with. I see that as an important part of my role as minister.” Hajdu made the comments after attending a signing ceremony for a new agreement under which Ottawa will give $1.1 billion over five years to First Nations communities in Quebec to help fund education. The ceremony took place in the Kanien’kéha area of Kahnawake, south of Montreal. Quebec’s new language reform proactively invokes the Canadian Constitution clause to protect it from charter challenges. It restricts the use of English in the civil service and the legal system and requires students at English-language colleges – known as CEGEPs – to take three additional courses in French to graduate. Indigenous communities say they are particularly concerned about the new rules for CEGEPs. John Martin, head of Gesgapegiag in Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, said Thursday that provincial language laws have been creating barriers for English-speaking aboriginal students for decades. The federal government has announced significant funding to help reduce the dropout rate for First Nations in Quebec. (Philippe Granger/Radio-Canada) “We’ve been dealing with language laws for 40 years,” Martin said. “We have students who can’t graduate because they couldn’t get the credits they needed, and Bill 96 raises the wall even higher.” He said aboriginal peoples have constitutional rights just like Quebecers, and the provincial government is acting like a colonial power. Martin said the federal government must “stand up and support us” in addressing the issue of Indigenous rights — including language rights — enshrined in the Constitution. “When one language tends to dominate, it’s a colonial practice and that means exterminating other languages and cultures,” Martin said. “That’s what we have to deal with.” Earlier, representatives of the federal government and the First Nations Board of Education signed the $1.1 billion education agreement, the result of 10 years of negotiations. The money will be used to create culturally adapted educational programs for approximately 5,800 children in 22 communities. It will also fund school transport and the recruitment and training of more than 600 teachers and other school staff. The First Nations Education Council, which represents eight Quebec First Nations, says the agreement will allow communities to take full responsibility for their schools. Denis Gros-Louis, executive director of the First Nations Education Council, said “history has shown us the many broken promises of governments. The ownership of education by and for First Nations that we celebrate today is our promise to ourselves. to our young people.”
