In recent years, Frédéric Lacroix has established himself as an indispensable independent researcher when it comes to analyzing the situation of the French in Quebec. The National Assembly even awarded a very high prize for his work. Why Law 101 is a failure.
And he signs an exceptional and remarkably documented dossier in March’s L’Action Nationale magazine devoted to what he calls “the case of the UQAM house”.
It shows how and why the UQAM, which was one of the great successes of the Silent Revolution and for Francophones the symbol of the democratization of higher education, is collapsing today. And with UQAM, part of French-speaking Montreal is collapsing, as evidenced by the disastrous situation in the Latin Quarter.
the cross
Accompanying this decline of UQAM is a spectacular rise of Concordia, her English-speaking rival, replacing her. This is a strong trend. There is nothing to suggest that it could be reversed in the short or medium term. Especially since we do not reverse strong demographic and sociological trends with advertising campaigns.
It is seen both as a symbol of French’s loss of prestige in Quebec and as a direct effect of the demographic changes caused by massive immigration. We will also see the effects of a university funding system that penalizes French-speaking universities in favor of English-speaking universities.
Higher education thus becomes an instrument of the Anglicization of the metropolis. It’s a total betrayal of the mission the Parents’ Report once attributed to him.
Frankly, Quebec is funding its own Anglicization, its own assimilation in higher education.
On the scale of history we will see a collective suicide attempt that does not give its name.
Can we still save Quebec’s university system, and specifically French-language higher education in Montreal? Can we still take the necessary steps to turn Montreal back into a French city?
Is it just too late?
Reading Lacroix one might think so, but he obviously wants to believe the opposite and advocates the creation of a new Parents’ Commission and would give it the following mandate.
recommendations
Allow me to quote him at length.
“1) Examine the current and future implications of maintaining the ideology of free choice in post-secondary education
2) examine the consequences of the current higher education funding model
3) investigate the consequences of federal funding in higher education (ideological orientation, imposition of equity diversity inclusion criteria, overfunding of English higher education institutions)
4) Examine the current and future consequences of the channeling of allophones and francophones towards the study of English at CEGEP and at university.
5) Determine if Quebec still has the means to fund a dual post-secondary system.
We understand what he wants: to francanize higher education in Montreal as much as possible, which requires at least a revival of UQAM, and no longer agree to its downgrading by Concordia.
The Quebec government, which calls itself nationalist and claims to be fighting the decline of French, will he hear it?
