Francophone parents vote to support Iqaluit school board's lawsuit
Francophone parents in Nunavut are getting behind their school board's lawsuit against the Government of Nunavut, barely.
At an emotional and hotly debated public consultation meeting Thursday evening at Iqaluit's French school, parents voted 17-16 in support of the lawsuit.
The Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut polled the parents in attendance informally, so the vote isn't legally binding.
"The 17-16 vote, personally. I don't see it as a victory," said school board president Michel Potvin.
"I see it as a clear indication from our members that it's a polarizing issue and it's also a divisive issue. So to me, what it says is we have more work to do and more consultations to do with our members."
The lawsuit was filed in February by francophone parent and lawyer Doug Garson, and is supported by the school board.
Lawsuit alleges charter right violation
It alleges the Nunavut Department of Education violated the board's charter rights to provide French education. The school board is demanding funding for enhancements to Nunavut's only francophone school, École des Trois Soleils, including new classrooms, a science lab and a computer lab.
The Association des parents francophones du Nunavut had previously denounced the lawsuit because of a lack of consultation from the school board. While parents' association president Tim Brown commended the board's initiative to hold a public consultation, both sides are still speaking different languages.
"There are so many unanswered questions and there are many years of built-up frustration," Brown said.
"It's going to take some time for all of that to come out."
Brown added he was disappointed there wasn't a PowerPoint presentation to help parents better understand the details of the lawsuit.
"There are a lot of logistical things about the lawsuit itself that need to be revisited. I'm hoping to get that chance again [to sit down] with the CSFN."
More meetings planned
The school board plans to hold more public consultations, though no dates have been set. Board officials have extended the deadline for parents to submit written comments until Tuesday, May 26 at 5 p.m.
The next public meeting is scheduled for June 17, but Potvin said more informal consultations with parents will take place before then.
Brown also said while the lawsuit is a good thing to help enhance the school, there are bigger issues to deal with.
"The teachers still haven't been hired for next year, and that's a huge concern for parents," Brown said.
"The parents need to know what teachers are going to be teaching their kids, and the teachers themselves need to know if they've got a job next year. Those are the more pressing issues than this long, drawn-out lawsuit."
Parents have many concerns
Brown said parents also raised questions about the timing of the lawsuit. Some at the consultation wondered why the school board is challenging the GN now, rather than working with the territory on the Education Act review.
"I think every parent that did speak on the mic brought up different concerns, and I hope they were heard, because they're different angles on the same theme, about building trust and they all pertain to the fundamental question: is this the right thing for us to be doing right now?"
Potvin also gave an update on the state of the francophone school board, which had been in disarray a few months ago. At one point, the board couldn't even reach quorum to hold a meeting.
Tuesday, the board announced Jacques Fortier resigned. He had previously been the president of the board, but had moved away from Iqaluit in late 2014 and was unable to attend meetings.
Potvin said the board now has four members who are all in town and can actively attend meetings to reach quorum. Fortier's vacant seat won't be filled until the upcoming school board election in October.
