The lawsuit filed by the Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B., the Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF), and parents against the provincial government continues. The trial, which began December 2, 2013, focuses on the comparability of Francophone schools with schools in the Anglophone system.

For several weeks, Justice Loryl Russell has heard the testimony of dozens of witnesses, including certain parents, selected by the Fédération des parents and the CSF. Their testimony, in addition to presenting the history of the CSF and the difficulties encountered over the years, highlights disparities in how the CSF, since its inception, has been treated compared to Anglophone school districts. These disparities include, among others things, the allocation of funding for capital assets (buildings where schools are located) and transportation.

Hundreds of Documents

In addition, hundreds of documents have been accepted as evidence up to now. They are documents from the archives of the CSF or the Fédération des parents, maps which show CSF schools’ attendance areas and each student’s residence, and sworn statements from parents comparing CSF schools to the surrounding Anglophone schools, to name just a few.

Several experts have produced expert’s reports for the CSF and the Fédération des parents, on specific topics such as the linguistic development of young children, the impact of the construction of a new Francophone school on the development of a community, and the analysis of data from the 2011 Census regarding the number of Francophones in the area. These reports have been filed with the Court and some of the experts have testified before the Justice about the content of their research.

Once all our witnesses have been heard, it will be the provincial government’s turn to submit their defence arguments to the Justice. The Court has reserved the schedule of Justice Russell to December 2014 for our trial. However, it is difficult at present to predict when the trial might end.

Media Coverage

Many people across the country are keenly following the trial’s coverage on Radio-Canada, through its broadcasts and on its website. For those who are interested, here are various ways to monitor the progress of the trial:

• In person: Room 43 of the B.C. Supreme Court – 800 Smithe Street, Vancouver. Hearings are typically held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Note that some break weeks are planned; we invite you to contact the Fédération des parents or the Court Registry for the exact schedule. 
• On Twitter: #ecolfr
• On Radio-Canada television: Téléjournal Colombie-Britannique, at 6:00 p.m. (almost every night).
• On the Radio-Canada website: http://ici.radio-canada.ca/sujet/education-fr-ouest