In July, the Provincial Government of New Brunswick launched a review of French “second-language” programming and services within the Anglophone school system.

Background to the announcement is the Government’s self-sufficiency objective and its goal that seventy percent of all high-school graduates in the province be able to function in both “official languages” by the year 2012. That may be ambitious but heh!

Terms of reference for the review are informed by the call that New Brunswick will have the best education system in the country. The Minister of Education challenges New Brunswickers to create an education system founded on the principle of “kids first”.

Consistent with his goal is the notion that New Brunswick, as Canada’s only “officially bilingual” province should be producing student graduates with communication skills in both English and French. He does not trash French immersion programs.

As I understand it, he is only asking the question “Is French immersion” the best way to prepare our students for life in an “officially bilingual” province and if not, what is the alternative?

Implicit in this question is whether or not “immersion” dilutes the value of an English language education and/or whether immersion is an elitist education pursuit.

I am not an educator so I have no credentials when it comes to judging one education system versus another. I do have opinions. In my opinion, we should do nothing to discourage French immersion programs in New Brunswick. We should be advancing the notion of bilingualism in a province where “official bilingualism” is the law of the land.

I acknowledge the argument that “immersion” may be elitist but I also know from results of various research studies and from personal observation that kids who are able to manage studies in an immersion environment tend to be brighter than average and higher achievers in the long run.

There was a letter in this newspaper earlier in the week that argued that a more intensive French presence in our education system would be threatening. It argued that the Canadian Constitution protects the rights of English constituents to have institutions of education that preserve and promote its community. I have no argument with that statement but I have difficulty understanding how the inclusion of French language studies in the English school system would threaten the community.

This person suggested that parents have the right to have their children educated in English and that an “intensive French language program” would violate the Constitution. I was confused by his argument. Parents already have the right to educate their children in English. Nobody is suggesting that this right be removed.

The writer argues that sections of the Charter of Rights prevent intensive French language training in our education system and he slams proponents of such training who suggest that it would increase literacy in the English language. I can’t document an answer to the latter but logic would suggest that somebody who is capable of embracing a second language would be literate in the first.

The truth of Kelly Lamrock’s Second Language review is that it is a review. It is not Government policy. It does not bind government to a policy. It is not even a recommendation. It is a review of second language programming within the Anglophone school system. It responds to the Government’s goal that a significant majority of high school graduates should be able to function effectively in both “official languages”. That’s all folks.

As one might expect, reaction to the “review” has been swift. Implicit in the reaction are three issues. The first is a long-standing tension between the English and the French. The second is the notion that good jobs in New Brunswick are only available to those who are bilingual (many would read that as the French who speak English) and third is the notion that a second language is somehow threatening to those who are unilingual.

Many, perhaps a majority of Europeans are bilingual. Much of the world is bilingual. The Swiss are multi-lingual. Why are Canadians so threatened by two languages? I am unilingual (even though I had six years of classroom instruction in French).

What a privilege it would be to have the opportunity to learn a second language from day one and to become so proficient in that language that someone could declare you bilingual. I would love to speak a second or third language but alas, it’s likely that I will have to content myself with the international language of golf.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of chairing a series of discussion groups on the matter of language. In each group, discussion ultimately turned to the issue of population decline and out-migration. In the opinion of the groups, the number one reason their friends leave the province is job opportunity and the number one reason they do not stay in the province is the perception that all good jobs are reserved for those who are bilingual.

That is not a fact but it would appear to be a very strong perception.

I am not convinced that Kelly Lamrock’s review of second-language programming in the anglophone school system is broad enough. In my opinion, it should include the question of English language literacy as well as French language training.

It should address the economic impact of increased bilingualism and it should include a circumstantial review of best practices relating to second language training.

In today’s New Brunswick, bilingualism is an asset acquired by choice.

If bilingualism should become a requirement for high school graduation, so too should literacy but that’s a story for another day. We already require maths and sciences for graduation, why not two languages in a province where two languages prevail.

With luck, the outcome of Mr. Lamrock’s review will point us in that direction.

W.E. (Bill) Belliveau is a Shediac resident and Moncton business consultant. He can be contacted at bill.bellstrategic@nb.aibn.com Atlantic Insight is a published Blog inventory of opinion articles published weekly in New Brunswick's print media as written by W.E. (Bill) Belliveau, who is a resident of Shediac, New Brunswick, and small business owner, operating his Moncton-based marketing consultancy, Bell Strategic. He can be reached by e-mail at mailto:bill.bellstrategic@nb.aibn.com