Bill 96 may prevent Kahnawake students from attending school in Montreal

Kahnawake, the Mohawk reserve bordering Montreal, has suspended communication with the Quebec government following the passing of Bill 96 – a law which enacts French language reform laws across Quebec.

Some have been vocal with their outrage in protest of this law, including many Montrealers, immigrants and Indigenous people both on and off reserves, as they will experience barriers in properly accessing healthcare and other essential services in their primary language.

Some worry this will limit students in Kahnawake from pursuing Cégep off reserve in Montreal, with limited knowledge of French for some current students in Kahnawake.

Bethany Douglas, a post secondary distance counselor at the Kahnawake Education Center, said the provincial government imposing extra French students on Cégep students is very worrying. Douglas says youth in Kahnawake learn English and Kanien'kehá:ka, with French as a third language. She says imposing another colonial language on students can prevent them from attending Cégep or studying out of province – disconnecting them from their culture.

Douglas says although this law won't come into affect until 2024, those that graduated High school this year will know they will still be in Cégep in 2024. She added that younger students have it in the back of their mind that they’ll have to do extra french classes, which puts pressure on them while already they're in high school.

The Kahnawake Education Center will be providing a work-around for students in lieu of Law 96 by offering Grade 12 to students. Having a high school education up until grade 12 means that students will not need to attend Cégep, as a result, not needing to complete extra french requirements in Cégep.

However, Education Minister Jean-François Roberge said he would close this loophole, stating the Center providing grade 12 is not authorized.