Education Minister Bill Hogan heard yet more Wednesday night from teachers and parents who are critical of a plan he's spearheading to drastically revamp French language education for anglophone students in New Brunswick.

The fourth and final in-person public consultation session on the province's proposed "innovative immersion program" drew a crowd of more than 300 people in Fredericton. 

Of the 34 speakers who rose to address the issue, not one spoke in favour of the plan — echoing the same dynamic at a meeting the night before in Saint John. 

Criticisms focused on the lack of evidence that the government presented to demonstrate the new program's merits, and concerns about adding stress to teachers who are already overwhelmed amid staff shortages and a lack of resources.

"If you decide to remodel a kitchen, one would think that they would spend time, money and other resources improving the kitchen rather than replacing the entire house," said Heather Hollett, who identified herself as an educator working in Anglophone School District West.

"Likewise, if an issue has been identified, rather than taking apart the system, I would suggest gathering data and pouring resources… into education by way of more educational assistants, behaviour mentors, support intervention workers."

Meanwhile, Donna McLaughlin, a retired teacher, said the public has yet to see the data supporting the proposed changes.

"We haven't seen the research that you are proposing. You have yet to mention who your experts are," she said.

More than 300 people showed up to a public consultation session on proposed changes to French second language education in New Brunswick. (Ed Hunter/CBC)

The New Brunswick government announced in December that it will start phasing out French immersion in September, replacing it at the kindergarten and Grade 1 levels with a program that will see all students spend half their classroom time learning English and half learning French.

That is less French than the current immersion program but more French than what non-immersion students now get.

In-person consultations on the planned changes were held in Bathurst and in Moncton last week, with participants at the Moncton session heckling Hogan and forcing the event organizers to abandon the original format in favour of one closer resembling an open-mic format. None of the roughly 20 people who spoke there were in favour of the proposed changes.

Head of language institute denounces plan

Attendees included Paula Kristmanson, director of the Second Language Research Institute of Canada at the University of New Brunswick.

Kristmanson said the institute, made up of teachers and educators at UNB's faculty of education, promotes evidence-based approaches to French second-language training, and supports well-researched initiatives to enhance it.

Members of the Second Language Research Institute of Canada are concerned with the proposed elimination of the current French immersion program, said Paula Kristmanson, the institute's director. (Ed Hunter/CBC)

"However, we are deeply troubled with the most recent announcement to implement one new French second language program for all in September 2023," Kristmanson said.

"Our concerns relate not only to the compressed timeline, which makes the development of any sound program practically impossible, but also to the potential elimination of French Immersion, which is the only [French second language] program that has proven results with respect to learning French second language."

Moira Buyting, who has children currently in French immersion, said she's concerned New Brunswick could become less bilingual under a program that doesn't offer as intense French second-language training as is offered with the current immersion program.

She also questioned whether teachers will have enough time to get prepared for the change in time for its planned implementation next fall.

"We have just come through two years of COVID, we continue to experience the after-effects of that with rises in absenteeism, and I feel like the system just needs to pause and catch up," she said.

"The teachers need to be rejuvenated and the kids need to just have a sense of consistency."

Program equal to French immersion: Hogan

In multiple instances during the open mic session, Hogan took the opportunity to respond to questions, and repeatedly stressed that the changes proposed by his department are not set in stone and could change based on what he hears at the consultation sessions.

Education Minister Bill Hogan said the program being proposed would be the same as French immersion, but in a different format. (Ed Hunter/CBC)

Speaking to reporters after the consultation session, Hogan said the current French immersion program worked well but only for a "small group of students."

With the proposed program, all students would be able to have French language education in their later years, to the point of being at least at the conversational level, Hogan said.

"It is French immersion. It's just a different form," he said.

Asked about the evidence used to justify the proposed changes, Hogan said that will be presented later this year, alongside the feedback gathered during the public consultation sessions. 

Virtual public consultations are set to be held on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2. An online survey is available until Feb. 3.

The message was sent by email Monday to all members of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association. 

"Teachers are free to publicly express their opinions on pedagogical issues," according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by CBC News. "Factual opinions expressed in an objective and respectful manner are critical to authentic consultation."

But teachers were reminded that "the professional hat" of teacher can never be removed.

"Given this, we advise that teachers cannot speak in any specificity regarding their individual students, or their families, as this would be a breach of confidentiality."

• Anger, heckling mark Moncton consultation effort on proposed changes to French immersion

Teachers were also cautioned against using "words or actions that would discredit or bring disrepute to themselves, our profession or the education system." 

Doing so, it warned, "could result in sanctions from their employer or their professional association."

The letter said association officials were present as observers at the consultations held in Bathurst and Moncton. 

"There will also be staff present at this week's planned consultations in Saint John, Fredericton and the upcoming online sessions," said the message.

Letter 'misconstrued'

When contacted on Tuesday, association president Connie Keating said the letter has been "misconstrued." 

She said it was intended to "empower teachers who were concerned that they should not speak up" during consultations. 

"The NBTA encourages teachers to continue to share their professional views in a respectful way while being mindful of their position of trust as they have at the first two consultations."

Keating said staff members attended the meeting "to be supportive of teachers and witness" the Department of Education's process." 

She was not made available for an interview, as requested. 

Proposed changes criticized

Last month, Education Minister Bill Hogan announced changes to the way French is taught. The changes mean more French for non-immersion students, but less than immersion students currently receive.

The planned changes have received a lot of criticism since first announced. In a live-streamed but scripted question-and-answer session last week, Hogan said changes to the program could still be made, based on feedback from several public sessions. 

Around 300 people attended a session Monday in Moncton, where tempers flared and hecklers often disrupted the proceedings. About 20 people spoke during the two-hour event — none in support of the proposed changes. 

People lined up through the foyer and down the stairs at the Delta Beausejour Hotel to attend the in-person consultation on Monday night in Moncton. (Maeve McFadden/CBC)

In early January, the teachers' association polled its members about the proposed program. Nearly 90 per cent of the 1,462 teachers who responded "do not believe the [Department of Education] is keeping them well informed about the changes," according to Monday's email sent to teachers. 

Sixty-five per cent reported feeling "dismayed" by what the government is calling the "innovative immersion program." The email also included several quotes from teachers describing why they are dismayed, including: 

• "We barely have time to cover everything we have to cover in English. How are we going to cover everything and then add in French as well?
• "How is EECD going to provide a balanced, well-thought-out curriculum for the new program in such a short period of time?" 
• "I have been teaching 25 years in kindergarten this year. I should not at this point have to worry about what I will be teaching next year. Will I be forced to retire before I am financially or emotionally ready?"
• "It is awful, in my opinion, that we are not having conversations around the real issues … lack of EAs, lack of support services, lack of supply teachers, lack of teachers in general for that matter."
• "It is disheartening to be part of the continual "change" culture which is the Dept of Ed. I do believe that French Immersion has resulted in numerous bilingual people entering our workforce."

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development was asked on Tuesday morning for comment about the letter from the teachers' association but had not provided one by publication time.

Two down, two to go

Two more in-person sessions are planned this week:

• Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Delta Saint John. 
• Wednesday, Jan. 25 at the Delta Fredericton. 

Each will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

There will also be two virtual sessions, one on Jan. 31 and the other on Feb. 2.

The online survey will continue to be available until Feb. 3.