A sociocultural and critical analysis of educational policies and programs for minority youth in British Columbia

From a sociocultural perspective, federal and provincial government policies can be viewed as instances of 2 The Official Languages Act of 1969, the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism of 1971, Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1981) and the Multiculturalism Act (1988). [...] The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Section 16) and the Official Languages Act also recognized the rights of Canadian citizens to have their children receive primary and secondary school instruction in the language of the English or French linguistic minority population of a province. [...] For example, it states that it is the policy of the government of Canada to “preserve and enhance the use of languages other than English and French, while strengthening the status and use of official languages of Canada,” and that all federal institutions “make use, as appropriate, of the language skills and cultural understanding of individuals of all origins.” This seems different to us than th [...] The Policy and Program Context of British Columbia Educational programs for immigrant and minority youth in British Columbia have developed and been implemented in the context of the federal policies outlined above, and in the context of the B. C. provincial policies regarding language, multiculturalism and language education outlined below. [...] Rather, it states: It is the policy of the government to foster the ability of each British Columbian, regardless of race, cultural heritage, religion, ethnicity, ancestry or place of origin, to share in the economic, social, cultural and political life of British Columbia in a manner that is consistent with the rights and responsibilities of that individual as a member of the society of British C