Eligibility for instruction in the minority official language of person

Status: This standard was approved as a departmental standard on March 19, 2024.

Definition

Eligibility for instruction in the minority official language refers to whether a person is eligible for instruction at the primary and secondary school levels in English in Quebec or in French in Canada outside Quebec, pursuant to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms' criteria.

Person refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programs.

Usage

A person for this variable refers to an individual under 18 years of age on December 31st of the year before the reference date.

This concept establishes the number of children eligible for instruction in the minority official language based on the criteria set out in section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. More specifically, this section gives parents the right to have their children educated in the minority official language of the province or territory in which they reside.

'Minority official language' means English in Quebec and French in Canada outside Quebec.

Criteria of eligibility

A child whose usual place of residence is in Canada outside Quebec on Census Day is considered eligible for instruction in the minority official language (i.e., French), if at least one of the following criteria is met:

1. At least one parent of the child has French as a mother tongue.

2. At least one parent of the child is attending or has attended a regular French program in a French-language school in Canada during their primary education.

3. The child is attending or has attended a regular French program in a French-language school in Canada during their primary or secondary education.

4. A brother or sister of the child is attending or has attended a regular French program in a French-language school in Canada during their primary or secondary education.

A child whose usual place of residence is in Quebec is considered eligible for instruction in the minority official language (i.e., English), if at least one of the following criteria is met:

1. At least one parent of the child is attending or has attended an English-language school in Canada during their primary education.

2. The child is attending or has attended an English-language school in Canada during their primary or secondary education.

3. A brother or a sister of the child is attending or has attended an English-language school in Canada during their primary or secondary education.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

There are no relevant internationally recognized standards.

Classifications

Relation to previous version

  • Eligibility for instruction in the minority official language of person March 19, 2024 to current

    This is the current standard.

Date modified: