Acadian Society ponders lawsuit over schools
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 | 6:49 PM AT
CBC News
The New Brunswick Acadian Society, already locked in a legal battle with the province over health care reforms, will consider filing another lawsuit to force changes in the administration of schools, the group's president says.
Jean-Marie Nadeau said Wednesday that local school districts need more autonomy over hiring and curriculum, because without it, the province's francophones don't have equal treatment on educational matters.
Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees New Brunswick's French- and English-speaking populations "the right to distinct educational institutions." But the provincial Education Act has numerous provisions that violate those kinds of constitutional guarantees, Nadeau said.
"What we will say to the government is look, there's 44 mistakes in your legislation, so how do we deal with them?" he said. "If they don't want to work positively with us, what can we do?"
The Acadian Society is currently suing the province over its decision last year to reduce the number of health authorities from eight to two. The organization argues that the reform resulted in an unfair distribution of specialized health services between anglophone and francophone regions.
Nadeau said he would prefer not to take on another legal fight over education, but if it becomes necessary, he won't rule it out.
