Four rural English schools could close due to Bill 14 changes for military families

Troops headed to Afghanistan and Bosnia after a deployment ceremony at CFB Valcartier near Quebec City on Friday Jan. 9, 2004. (CP PHOTO/Clement Allard)

MONTREAL—Several English schools in Quebec’s rural areas say Bill 14 could force them to close, because the legislation to bolster Quebec’s French language laws would prevent Francophone military families from sending their children to English schools.

The move could have disastrous consequences for Anglophone communities in the regions.

Kevin Jack is fluently bilingual and he wants his children to grow up the same way. The town where he lives, St-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, near Quebec City, is 90 per cent French. But Jack, an engineer, sends his children to English school.

Jack says English language skills will give his kids a competitive edge

“It opens up a lot of doors, especially in Quebec City because everybody's looking for English-speaking employees,” said Jack.

However the father is worried that his children could soon lose their ability to go to English school. The military kids from nearby bases have swelled the ranks of English schools for decades and helped keep them open.

If those Francophones can't attend anymore, four local English schools in this area could close or be forced to merge. Jack doesn't want to move away.

“This is my home. I grew up here. My parents grew up here. My grandparents grew up here. This is the house my grandfather built. This is his farm,” said Jack.

Those are family values he feels a duty to pass on to his children.

Valcartier Elementary has 52 students, half of them from French military families. If Bill 14 goes through parents here say this little school will likely have to close.

Nine-year-old Philippe Beaulieu attends the school because his dad is in the military, he fears changing suddenly to a French school would be tough.

“I've been so much in English that I want to keep on learning because for French it's just going to turn my life around,” said Beaulieu.

The government issues temporary permits for military children to attend English school. With Bill 14 looming, Beaulieu's mom doesn't know if he'll get a permit to go to an English high school in the fall.

“Are they going to give out temporary one for another year? Are they going to wait for this bill to possibly pass and tell us in September? We don’t know, we really don’t know,” said Diane Adams, Beaulieu’s mom.

She says the exception for military families is reasonable and Valcartier Elementary is worth fighting for.

“I chose this school and I wouldn’t change this school for anything,” Adams continued.

Hearings on Bill 14 begin on March 12 and the stakes couldn't be higher for many parents like these in rural Quebec, regardless of their mother tongue.