I agree wholeheartedly with what was said about the importance to be given to the teaching of basic French, or, as it is known in English, core French.
We must not forget that 1.1 million students in English Canada are learning French, and only 300,000 of them are in French immersion programs. Most of these students are taking core French. It is a widespread phenomenon. And I find it extremely annoying when people question the value of teaching core French.
However, I would like to give you an example of something positive. My friends must be getting tired of listening to me talk about this. I am referring to the Edmonton Public School Board, which conducted a study of what was happening there in 2000-2001. Enrolment levels for the French program had dropped by 12%. A report set out 14 criteria that were required in order to provide high quality French education. A sizable budget was made available for the implementation of these 14 criteria. The result was a 25% increase in enrolment, and the type of drop that we normally see in grades 9 and 10 has almost been eliminated.
As a result, 63% of the students who are receiving post-secondary education in French at the Saint-Jean campus of the University of Alberta come out of immersion programs. In my opinion, this means that the experiment was a success. It gives me a reason to be somewhat optimistic. And it provides other school boards with an example that they may wish to follow.