Immigration and Citizenship Canada

Area francization programs close

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Students attending French classes through the government’s francization program at area school service centres and school boards are looking for alternatives to learn French.

The courses are provided for free to immigrants through Francisation Quebec, a government-mandated agency run through the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation, et de l’Integration, on a full- or part-time basis.

As government funding for the program ran dry, the classes offered by the New Frontiers School Board (NFSB) at the NOVA Career Centre in Chateauguay were closed as of November 8. The courses being run by the Centre de services scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands through the Centre de formation générale des adultes des Tisserands (CFGAT) will also end, effective November 29.

This will affect 33 full-time students and 63 part-time students at the NFSB, as well as more than 150 students currently studying at the CFGAT.

“We have maintained the francization program for as long as possible to meet the demand,” said François Robichaud, the assistant director general for success at the CSSVT. “This difficult decision is based on the budgetary framework and the terms and conditions for using the funds,” he explained.

In past years, the government based its program financing on demand reported in the previous two years. New budgetary rules determining the financing for the 2024-2025 fiscal year are based on numbers pegged to 2020-2021 demand, when numbers were lower due to the pandemic. This was also the year during which the francization program was integrated with the CFGAT.

The Syndicat de Champlain confirmed to the Journal Saint-François that all five francization teachers on contract in the Vallée-des-Tisserands’ territory have been let go.

According to NFSB director general Mike Helm, the continuing education team worked extremely hard in terms of redirecting staff to ensure no jobs were lost.

“For us, it was about trying to support the community and its needs in terms of francization and the improvement of the French language,” said Helm. The NFSB did not offer any francization courses in 2020-2021, so is no longer able to offer the courses.

“It is really unfortunate that due to budgeting parameters, we are not able to provide this service,” he added, before suggesting that if the rules were to change, the NFSB would be open to restarting its program.

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Ex-LBPSB official pleads guilty in student scandal

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The publication ban on the fraud case involving the former head of the Lester B. Pearson School Board’s (LBPSB) international department Caroline Mastantuono was lifted last week after she pled guilty to the forgery charges brought against her.

An investigation led by the Quebec anti-corruption unit revealed evidence that the 61-year old former LBPSB employee forged and trafficked forged documents as part of a fraudulent enrolment scheme for international students.

A company owned by a Blainville resident and at least one other former LBPSB employee who are still protected by the publication ban were allegedly involved in the fraudulent scheme headed by Mastantuono.

Over eighty receipts representing a sum of $1,648,281 for 25 students were at the heart of the investigation that revealed that at least 16 of them were not affiliated with the recruitment agency in question. The LBPSB was billed a commission for the recruitment services linked to international students, mainly from India.

The overall processes common in each case related to the scheme involved international students {span}receiving a study permit from Immigration and Citizenship Canada.

When contacted by The Suburban for comments on this case, the LBPSB refused to comment or provide any statements on its position.

Mastantuano’s recuiting firm owned by herself as well as some of her family members entitled Rising Phoenix International is the subject of multiple lawsuits particularly stemming from the private educational sector. She continued to recruit students in the private sector after the LBPSB fired her shortly after the accusations against her made headlines, nearly four years ago. n

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