Judge denies fast-track request in Fort Smith French-language education case

Carla Ulrich · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 6:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

A justice has rejected a petition to fast-track a lawsuit involving French-language acquisition successful Fort Smith, N.W.T.

The lawsuit was brought guardant by a radical of parents called Parents determination l'instruction en français de Fort Smith, who are suing the territorial government, saying their rights nether the Charter are being denied due to the fact that because Fort Smith presently has nary French connection schoolhouse oregon programme for Francophone students.

The parents asked the tribunal to velocity up the ineligible process successful hopes of launching a French first-language programme this September. However, successful a determination issued June 18, the justice ruled that the timeline wasn't realistic, adjacent if the parents yet triumph their broader lawsuit against the territory.

N.W.T. Supreme Court Justice Paul Rouleau said excessively galore steps stay earlier a programme tin begin. He besides said that Fort Smith is not presently wrong the jurisdiction of the territory's Francophone schoolhouse board, a process that would necessitate authorities approval.

Geneviève Côté, 1 of the parents progressive successful the case, said they are present looking astatine 2 years without French-language education, and that mislaid clip makes a large quality successful a child's life.

"I deliberation it was worthy the effort to connection thing for our Francophone children arsenic soon arsenic possible," she said.

This is the 5th clip a Francophone radical successful the N.W.T. has taken the authorities to tribunal implicit acquisition rights. Audrey Fournier with La Fédération franco-ténoise said the territory is liable for supporting each 11 authoritative languages, including French and Indigenous languages.

The territorial government wouldn't remark connected the ongoing case, but said it supports acquisition successful some of Canada's authoritative languages.

Côté said they're not asking for a caller French-language schoolhouse successful Fort Smith until the enrolment numbers tin warrant it. They lone privation the quality to commencement a tiny programme nether the territory's French-language schoolhouse board.

The radical spent the past twelvemonth trying to enactment with the Department of Education. In February, the parents had what they felt was a hopeful speech with Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland, but in March, the territory said nary to the projected program. The radical filed its suit successful May.

"It's conscionable truly benignant of a bummer," she said. "We truly thought that we could enactment together, and present we're person to [sue them], and it sucks."

The radical is asking the tribunal to state that the government's refusal violates Section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees minority-language education.

Côté said the existent setup doesn't conscionable Francophone families' needs, and it's not capable to ensure kids support their archetypal language. She said her five-year-old is already shifting to English astatine home, and that it takes repeated reminders to talk French to her.

"If I halt making him repeat, past helium volition halt speaking to maine successful French," she said. "If I autumn into that rhythm … past that language, his handling of our practice language, volition beryllium lost."

She said respective French-speaking families person already near Fort Smith truthful their children tin be a French-language schoolhouse elsewhere, which she feels is simply a nonaccomplishment for the full community.

While the radical is asking for French programming, she said the combat is astir overmuch much than that. Her lad is besides learning Chipewyan successful school, and she believes each connection deserves abstraction successful the classroom.

"Every connection is worthy of being preserved," she said. "It's truly hard to larn those languages arsenic adults. I cognize of a batch of Indigenous friends that are going done each of the enactment to regain entree to their language."

Côté said their radical is acceptable to enactment different parents oregon groups that privation amended connection practice successful schools.

"We each stock a communal tendency to spot our children beryllium capable to talk with their elders and families successful their practice language," she said. "We can't beryllium who we are without our languages."