Pat Coghlan Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 We have to artificially pump up yet another government number for political purposes only? http://www.ottawacitizen.com/StatsCan+agai...2259/story.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machjo Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 We have to artificially pump up yet another government number for political purposes only?http://www.ottawacitizen.com/StatsCan+agai...2259/story.html Here's how I would change the Stats-Can definition: I would scrap the following two categories: Self-assessed English-speaker: one who assesses himself to know English. Self-assessed French-speaker: one who assesses himself to know French. And replace them with the following: Tested successful fluent English-speaker: one who has passed an objective test confirming his ability to function fluently in the English language. Tested successful fluent French speaker: one who has passed an objective test confirming his ability to function fluently in the French language. Failed English-speaker: one who has studied English throughout a compulsory education received in Canada but has failed to pass the test of fluency. Failed French-speaker: one who has studied French throughout a compulsory education received in Canada but has failed to pass the test of fluency. Unstudied non-English-speaker: one who has not studied English in Canada and does not know it fluently. Unstudied non-French-speaker: one who has not studied French in Caanda and does not know it fluently. Untested speaker: one whose English and French abilities have not yet been objectively tested. My guess is that based on such criteria, our Ministries of education and public schools would be red-faced with shame. I remember e-mailing the Ontario Ministry of Education to find out the real rate of success in second-language learning in Ontario Public schools. Guess what: it didn't know the answer to my question. So much for accountaqbility there. And all we have to do is stroll down Ottawa streets and ask for directions in French, and most are at a loss, and this in one of Canada's most bilingual cities. Belived me, I've done such tests for my own curiosity, and the results were shameful for the Ontario public school system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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