I myself would say that this is everyone's responsibility. Some people within the public education system think that we can do it all. We are involved in the initial stages of development, that is to say we sow the seeds. Yes, this is where it all begins, but we encourage people, we provide the foundation, so to speak. Certainly, people themselves must also accept their share of responsibility.
Earlier, we were talking about standards, and this issue must be very clear. We mentioned the Common European Framework because at the beginning of our late immersion program, we used to issue a certificate with the word “bilingual” on it. Some students went to possible employers and said to them,
“I'm bilingual. Look, this is what it says.”
But they weren't truly bilingual. We changed the certificate and now it clearly states the person is a graduate of a late immersion program.
Let's talk about the Common European Framework. It shifts the responsibility onto the shoulders of the young people: They say that they want to have a B level of proficiency. What does having a B level mean?
The purpose of this framework is to allow you, as an employer, to know what you can require of a person who has a B level of proficiency. It's better this way, rather than having each person give his own interpretation of what it means. This is an example of what we mean when we talk about standards.
And what about the guidance counsellors in the schools? One of their responsibilities is to share employment information with the students and to let them know what will be available in the future on the job market. Who is requiring knowledge of our languages? Where is the demand? In the final analysis, we all share this responsibility.