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A group of Indigenous CEGEP students are speaking up about the harmful and unjust effects of Law 14 on Indigenous young people and their communities in Quebec.

Law 14, formerly known as Bill 96, aims to promote and protect the French language in Quebec. As of September 2023, all CEGEP students in anglophone colleges must take more French courses. Students who do not hold a certificate of English eligibility must also take the highest level of college French courses to prepare to pass the Épreuve uniforme de français, which is required for them to graduate from CEGEP.

Many Indigenous students do not have a certificate of English eligibility and are subject to the full consequences of Law 14 on their post-secondary education unless they can obtain an exemption, which represents another bureaucratic hurdle to their success. They are a diverse group of students, and many arrive at English colleges with low-level French or no French.

There are an estimated 300 or so Indigenous students in the anglophone CEGEPs in Quebec, which is higher than ever before. Subjecting them to Law 14 creates a significant barrier for these students to access post-secondary education.

Anglophone CEGEPs in Quebec – Dawson, Champlain Saint-Lambert, Heritage, John Abbott and Vanier – are calling on the government to conduct deeper consultation and propose solutions to Indigenous community partners.

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Interviewees

The names of students in order of appearance in the full-length video:

Cameron Biron
Student at John Abbott College
Cree from WemindjiÌý

Teioniehtathe Hamelin
Student at Champlain College Saint-Lambert
Kanienʼkehá:ka from KahnawakeÌý

Jason Patterson
Student at John Abbott College
Inuit from UmiujaqÌý

Haylee Kirby-Lazare
Student at Champlain College Saint-Lambert
Kanienʼkehá:ka from Kahnawake Ìý

Kim Tekakwitha Martin
Dean of Indigenous Education
John Abbott College
Kanienʼkehá:ka from KahnawakeÌý

Angela Ottereyes
Student at ³ÉÈ˺ÚÁÏ
Cree from WaskaganishÌýÌý

Cyrus Smoke
Student at Vanier College
Kanienʼkehá:ka from Akwesasne Ìý

Zye Mayo
Student at ³ÉÈ˺ÚÁÏ
Kanienʼkehá:ka from KahnawakeÌý