English cégeps call for exemptions to Bill 96 as Indigenous students speak out, reconsider PSE

CBC reports that the directors of Champlain College Saint-Lambert, Dawson College, Heritage College, John Abbott College, and Vanier College have penned an open letter to QC Premier François Legault calling for conversations with the Indigenous community around Bill 96. The directors assert that the law is “creating multiple systemic and discriminatory barriers” for the Indigenous students at their schools. The cégeps also released a video featuring Indigenous students, who spoke out against Bill 96 and the barriers it will create for them. Some students shared that these changes have led them to reconsider postsecondary studies in Quebec or at all, while others discussed how the new requirements put learning their own language and culture in jeopardy. They’re talking about preserving their language, but what about ours?” said Angela Ottereyes, who is Cree. “French is my third language. And I feel like as I’m learning more, I’m forgetting my own language.”

Champlain College Saint-Lambert | CBC | Global News | Montreal Gazette