Re: Lisee
How can there be any credibility when in a predominant non-Franco community the govt would want to make a BILINGUAL hospital French. Does that not say mountains about how the Anglo/allo community does not matter ?

Merci, M Lisée!

À Montréal Bilingue on est très contents que vous êtes vénus donner cette entrevue et que vous avez rencontré des citoyens à Westmount aussi. Et que vos enfants seront bilingues :) C'est sur que ça prendra des longs dialogues, des compromis et beaucoup de réfléxion pour pouvoir réunir les deux solitudes avec un but commun de préservation et promotion des deux langues et de la coopération entre les deux langues, mais on croit pouvoir y arriver. SVP, ne laissez pas vos collégues dicter les lois sur la langue. Et qu'ils arrêtent d'écouter ce Mario Beaulieu, un intolérant sans pareil.

Pourquoi ne pas réviser les lois, pour garder celles qui marchent et abolir celles qui ne marchent pas? Pourquoi ne par permettre une commission scolaire bilingue sur l'île de Montréal, laissant le choix au parents? Pourquoi ne pas prendre cette occasion pour démontrer un ésprit de coopération envers le reste du Canada, bien sur en leur rappellant combien il y a à faire pour aboutir au vrai bilinguisme Canadien. Nous, on n'est pas prêts à abandonner le rêve bilingue. Bien au contraîre! À Montréal, il est une réalité :)

Pour un Canada bilingue,
Concordia Salus

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Thank you, M Lisée!

Us, at Bilingual Montreal, we are very happy that you gave this interview and that you met with Westmount residents, as well. And that your children will be bilingual :) It is on it will take long dialogues, compromise and reflection in order to bring the two solitudes together with a common goal of preservation of the two languages and promotion of cooperation between the communities, but we think we can get there. Please do not let your colleagues dictate the language laws. And they should stop listening to Mario Beaulieu, an intolerant without equal.

Why not revise laws to keep what works and eliminate what does not? Why not allow a school boards to be bilingual on the island of Montreal, leaving the choice to the parents? Why not take this opportunity to demonstrate a spirit of cooperation to the rest of Canada, of course firmly reminding them how much they need to do to achieve true bilingualism in Canada. We're not ready to give up the dream bilingual. Just the opposite! In Montreal, it is a reality :)

For a bilingual Canada!
Concordia Salus

January 20, 2013


As one of the attendees, at the Westmount event, featuring minister of anglo relations, Jean-François Lisée, I was intrigued by a reference he made concerning the Constitution and English school boards. Indeed, the Constitution - via Section 23 of the Charter of Rights - does guarantee minority language education rights. But, in Quebec, that doesn't mean that much.

Nevertheless, let's consider another system without school commissioners, and costly elections with puny voter turnouts, which would equally satisfy the education rights of the English community.

Think English : schools, students, textbooks, teachers, principals, and school personnel and their respective English unions / associations.

Now ponder upon charter schools, which are public schools that eliminate the intermediary, the school board, and thus taxpayers' money go directly to schools, which arguably would benefit both the school and the students.

The autonomous school would be governed by a school body - a powerful governing board - with elected parents, teachers and other school personnel. Of course, all matters would follow guidelines from the Department of Education.

The Jan. 18, Gazette article about the Westmount meeting was aptly headlined: "Lisée projects image of kinder, gentler separatist. "

That said, if Mr. Lisée really wants to help the English community, he should consider floating this idea to the PQ, which may stem the tide of eligible students, whose parents are shunning the English school system.

Chris Eustace