The court action brought by the CSF and the FPFCB passes a major milestone

Richmond, March 3, 2015 – Since December 2013, the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF), the Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique (FPFCB) and a number of parents have been co-plaintiffs in a court action against the province. The two organizations are calling for a Francophone education that is equivalent to the education provided to Anglophones, both in terms of capital spending and in terms of operational funding, particularly for school transportation.

The provincial court case passed a major milestone in February when the CSF and the FPFCB finished filing their evidence. During that process, the judge heard from a stream of key witnesses: secretary treasurers, superintendents, principals, expert witnesses and parents all testified to provide details as the evidence was developed.

The B.C. government’s evidence
It is now the province’s turn to present its evidence before Justice Russell. According to the timetable set by the government, its evidence is to be given over a period of three or four months, assuming that schedule is adhered to. The government will try to show that the CSF’s demands are not reasonable and that the allegations in the declaration are unfounded. Its witnesses include the people who have held the positions of Director of Capital Managament, Resource Management Division, and Executive Director, Capital Management Branch.

Once the province’s evidence has been presented, Justice Russell will spend several months analyzing the facts and relevant law before delivering her judgment.

This court action is the largest joint undertaking by the province’s Francophones since the education-related actions brought in the 1990s. Today, many schools are overcrowded or delapidated, or do not have the space required to promote community building. In many cases they are difficult to access or require students to take excessively long bus rides. The CSF and the FPFCB hope the judgment will provide the Francophone community with what it is entitled to under the Constitution: new schools that are genuinely equivalent to those provided for Anglophones and respond to the needs of Francophone students. That is why the plaintiffs are determined to see this undertaking through to completion, for the benefit of our children.
See the history of the court action

Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique
Since it was established in 1995, the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique has been providing educational programs and services promoting the comprehensive development and cultural identity of the province’s Francophone students. A partner in the advancement of the Francophone community in British Columbia, the CSF now has more than 5,300 students attending 37 schools – including 24 homogeneous French-language schools – and serves around one hundred communities throughout the province.

Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B.
The mission of the Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B. is to bring together, represent, support and equip parents in their role as first educators, and to promote their engagement and participation in creating a vital, exemplary Francophone environment.

For more information:
Pascale Cyr Public Relations Department Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique 100 – 13511 Commerce Parkway, Richmond, B.C. V6X 2W7 Tel: 604-214-2600 / 1-888-715-2200 Direct line: 604-214-2617 Pascale_cyr@csf.bc.ca / www.csf.bc.ca		Marie-Andrée Asselin Executive Director Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B. 223-1555 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1S1 Tel: 604-736-5056 / 1-800-905-5056 Direct line: 604-889-9814 maasselin@fpfcb.bc.ca / www.fpfcb.bc.ca