Linguistic immersion

Someone had a good idea at Marianopolis College and Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. Next year, both institutions will launch a student exchange program that will have interested students spend their last semester at the other CEGEP in an effort to improve their language skills.

I like it and the initiative hasn't stirred much controversy. OK... no news here... let's move on... except that... while both the Bloc and the Parti Québécois haven't commented on the initiative, some people see politics into it.

In the story published by La Presse [Google translation], Michel April, general manager at Brébeuf, is quoted saying it is a nice opportunity for Québec society to think things over. "Une belle piste de réflexion pour la société québécoise", he says. Of course, some people need this type of initiative to think things over, but Québec society? Gimme a break!... Québec's population is already the most bilingual in Canada. Yep!... even more bilingual than New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province in the country.

The Gazette and the CBC also see some politics into it. They both emphasize the apparent contradiction between this initiative and the Parti Québécois' discussions about banning Francophones and Allophones from attending English-language CEGEPs. Both media also conveniently omit that these discussions provide for institutions wanting to launch immersion programs to be able to do so [Google translation]. Which is exactly what both CEGEPs will be doing! Like I wrote above... no news here... but you have to wonder about the journalistic integrity of the authors involved at The Gazette and the CBC.

Someone had a good idea at Marianopolis College and Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, but it's no revolution. Many French-language elementary schools already have these types of immersion programs.