Aaron Berk has been living in Quebec for about eight months.
Originally from Ontario, he moved to the province for a two-year job contract and started taking French classes.
He calls learning French fun, but learning the language under a strict deadline — not so much.
“The thought of acquiring fluency in six months seems absurd,” said Berk.
Berk is referring to a clause in the province’s new language law.
Bill 96 stipulates that most government services will be offered only in French to newcomers, refugees and immigrants once they have been in the province for six months.
“There are rules that are making it more difficult for newcomers and marginalized groups,” he said. “And to me, that’s not really what I would think is the role of the government.”
Berk is one of nearly 200 students who take lessons at private language school, CLC Canada, in downtown Montreal.
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About 80 per cent of students are enrolled in French courses.
Another student, a Florida native who has lived in Montreal for about a year says, hearing about Bill 96 was disheartening.
“Everybody I think really is trying to do their best to learn the language, but the realities of life come into play too, like your job or your family, so it’s hard to focus 100 per cent,” said Jesse.
Those who teach French here say in their experience, an average person with no prior knowledge of the language can take between eight months to a year to become fluent.
That timeline also depends on how many courses a week they take — which also varies based on their availability.
“If you just arrived here, you might take time to cope with the weather, the new society — you can’t really get to learning the language everyday,” said Harold Babon, academic liaison at CLC.
Global News reached out to the minister of the French language, Simon Jolin-Barrette, for his response to these concerns, did not receive a response by deadline.
All of the students and teachers who spoke to Global News agree that French in Quebec should be preserved and promoted, they say. They simply wish the government would translate that message to them in a more welcoming way.
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