The Eastern Townships School Board is calling on families to apply for an eligibility certificate for their children as soon as possible following the implementation of language law Bill 96.

CIDI journalist Taylor McClure spoke with Chairperson for the Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) Michael Murray for more details on the eligibility certificate requirement and the impact that Bill 96 is having on people’s access to education in English in Quebec.

Under Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, students who wish to have access to English-language instruction at a public primary school, secondary school, or subsidized private school, must fall under the specified categories outlined in the law.

Those eligible to attend an English school include children that have completed most of their primary and or secondary education in English in Canada or children with a sibling or a parent that completed the majority of their schooling in English in Canada. Other acceptable circumstances include Indigenous children and children living with learning disabilities.

Parents or students can also file an application to receive a certificate of eligibility from the Ministry of Education, which helps protect their right - and the right of future generations - to access an English education down the line. The regulation dates back to 1977 with the implementation of Bill 101.

With the amendments brought about to the Charter of the French Language as a result of the adoption of Bill 96 last May, these eligibility certificates are now also important for students that want to attend an English CEGEP in Quebec and have access to specific programs.

According Murray, the ETSB has received calls from concerned parents who say that the Ministry of Education is refusing their request for the certificate despite being eligible because they did not apply for the certificate before their child completed their secondary studies.

Murray told CIDI that while the ETSB informs eligible families to apply for the eligibility certificate right away to avoid any future challenges, including parents of a child that attend French school, he was not aware of such a rule being applied until the arrival of Bill 96.

Listen to the full interview below to hear more: