Document Information

Date: 1980-10-31
By: Unknown
Citation: Memorandum, Principles of Minority Language Education (31 October 1980).
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CONFIDENTIAL

October 31, 1980

Principles of Priority Language Education

1. Right of Canadian citizens to have their children receive their primary and secondary school instruction in the minority language, whether English or French, of the province in which they reside if

(a) the first language learned and still understood of one of the parents is that of the English or French linguistic minority population of the province in which they reside

or

(b) one of the parents has received his or her primary (or secondary?) school instruction in Canada in the minority language, whether English or French, of the province in which they reside

and

they reside in an area of the province in which the number of children of such citizens is sufficient to warrant the provision out of public funds of minority language educational facilities in that area.

2. Right of Canadian citizens who, at the time of coming into force of the Charter, have one or more of their children receiving his or her primary or secondary school instruction in either English or French to have any or all of their children receive their primary or secondary school instruction in that same language if the number of children of citizens resident in the area of the province who have the right to educational instruction in that language is sufficient to warrant the provision out of public funds of minority language educational facilities in that area.

3. Right of a Canadian citizen who changes residence from one province to another and, prior to the change, has any child receiving primary or secondary school instruction in either English or French, to have any or all of his or her children receive their primary and secondary school instruction in the same language if the number of children of citizens resident in the area of the province to which the citizen has moved, who have a right to educational instruction in that language is sufficient to warrant the provision out of public funds of minority language educational facilities in that area.

Comments

The first principle would expand the right under section 23 (1) to include citizens whose mother tongue was neither English or French but who had received their education in Canada in one of those languages. Thus it would enable the Italian mother tongue parents living in Quebec one of whom had received his or her education in English to send their children to English schools. It would also permit French mother tongue parents in Quebec