Diritto Pubblico Comparato ed Europeo

Sommario

1. Lingue, culture, educazione: l’obiettivo della promozione della francofonia minoritaria in Canada. – 2. L’art. 23 della Carta dei diritti e delle libertà: precedenti, finalità e natura giuridica dei diritti sanciti nella interpretazione della giurisprudenza. – 3. I titolari del diritto all’istruzione ed i beneficiari dei servizi educativi. – 4. Le manifestazioni dei diritti linguistici nel settore educativo: a) l’insegnamento nella lingua minoritaria. – 5. Segue: b) la costituzione di strutture separate. – 6. Segue: c) la gestione ed il controllo delle strutture educative. – 7. Le condizioni per l’esercizio del diritto all’istruzione: in particolare, il criterio del “numero sufficiente”. – 8. Considerazioni conclusive: l’evoluzione della politica linguistica provinciale tra innovazioni e conferme.

Abstract

The article is focused on the implementation of Section 23 of the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on behalf of the provincial powers in the educational field, according to Section 93 of the 1867 BNAA, in order to verify the status of protection and promotion of linguistic minorities with specific regard to the French communities located in different percentages within the Canadian provinces and territories. The evolution of the provincial legislation and the contribute of judicial interpretation – especially the interpretation of the Supreme Court – show a progressive attention to the situation of the French speaking minorities, which have been risking to be assimilated to the English speaking majority since the birth of the Canadian federation. In the educational field, the provision of teaching programs in the minority language, the implementation of facilities as well as the creation of separate administrative bodies, according to Section 23 of the Charter and the criterion of the so-called sliding scale elaborated by the Supreme Court, can contribute to the promotion of the French communities’cultural identity. Nevertheless several ambiguities in the provincial legislation, the important role of the ministry of education and the recessive powers of the French school counsils in spite of the wide range of their formal competences, continue to foment the judicial intervention and suggest a cautious optimism as far as the effective realization of the purposes sanctioned within Part VII of the 1988 Official Languages Act is concerned.