In front of the Supreme Court.
Evidence of meeting #44 for Official Languages in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was dawson.
Evidence of meeting #44 for Official Languages in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was dawson.
7:50 p.m.
President, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
Yes, the Yukon Supreme Court.
7:50 p.m.
President, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
It could end up in the Appeal Court.
7:50 p.m.
President, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
The Yukon Court of Appeal is the Court of British Columbia. Supposing we have a result--
7:50 p.m.
President, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
Supposing that Justice Ouellette hands down his ruling in June. At that point, one or the other party has one month to appeal. At the British Columbia Court of Appeal, we can expect that it will be eight or nine months before the case is heard. At that point, the case will be heard and it will take some time before the Court of Appeal makes its ruling. When that happens, one or the other party may decide to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. And, for the Supreme Court of Canada, it's two years.
7:50 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
That's worrisome. I know, having visited your school, that you really need more space for a high school. You obviously began with a small school, which is fine. But as time passes, more and more young people enter the school. You already have registrations for the primary level. If you want to keep these students in your system up to the secondary level, you will obviously need a high school. And yet the Yukon government's reaction does not seem particularly positive in that regard. Am I mistaken?
7:50 p.m.
President, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
No, you are not. For the time being, the case is before the court. That seems to be the approach the Yukon government is taking: it waits until the court forces it to do something. So, this could take up to three or four years.
7:50 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
And how do you think you will be able to function during that period? You have to be able to keep going.
7:50 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
You will just continue to operate with the space you currently have.
7:50 p.m.
President, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
We will continue to do something that we do very well: we will try to reinvent ourselves from the inside and put our available space to the best possible use. We are already trying out a new program which uses outside space. We live in the Yukon, so we are going to try to get our students outside as much as possible, in order to make room. Having said that, at some point, that will no longer be possible.
7:55 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
I noted that your young people have a lot of outside activities, which is excellent from an educational standpoint. However, this is a concern. I promise to pass on that concern. In my opinion, we have to produce a very serious report that asks the Yukon government to be accountable, because this is absolutely unacceptable.
I would like to talk about the day care centre. We did not have a chance to go there.
7:55 p.m.
Director, Garderie du petit cheval blanc, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
We were expecting you. Ah, ah!
7:55 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
We had a very busy day, Ms. St-Gelais. We have been up now for 17 hours. We tried to do all we could with the available resources.
7:55 p.m.
Director, Garderie du petit cheval blanc, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
It will be closed. Ah, ah!
7:55 p.m.
Bloc
7:55 p.m.
Director, Garderie du petit cheval blanc, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
Yes, we are--
7:55 p.m.
Director, Garderie du petit cheval blanc, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
For the time being, there are 52 children in the after-school program. At the day care centre, there are 41.
7:55 p.m.
Director, Garderie du petit cheval blanc, Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon
That is the maximum number we can accommodate for now; we have no room for additional children.
