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From: jchapman@watcgl.UUCP (john chapman)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: equal opportunities
Message-ID: <2157@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 5-Jul-85 16:55:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: watcgl.2157
Posted: Fri Jul  5 16:55:46 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 8-Jul-85 13:38:29 EDT
References: <893@mnetor.UUCP> <5642@utzoo.UUCP> <896@mnetor.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
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Jim Robinson writes:

> In article <2128@watcgl.UUCP> jchapman@watcgl.UUCP (john chapman) writes:
> >If the programs even exist; last I heard your provincial government was
> >cutting down on the ESL (english as a second language) programs/resources
> >in the province.
> 
> Unless they changed the rules all immigrants have to know one of the two 
> official languages. Thus, I would assume that the ESL program was directed
> at the children of immigrants. If indeed ESL is the quicker way of 
> integrating these children into the mainstream, then it would appear
> that cutting back on the program was not one of the brighter moves of
> the Socreds.

 ESL programs are directed at anyone who needs them.  My impression is
 that the majority of participants are adults or young adults (since
 children tend to pick up english in school anyhow).  I had not heard
 of rules barring immigration without proficiency in one of the two
 official languages.  They are either very new or not enforced because
 you can take a walk over to east vancouver and find a lot of adults
 who can't speak a word of english; in fact there was a bit of a row
 about this during the last provincial (I think) election.

 John Chapman