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CASLT's press release in November, 2004, called for the revitalization of Core French programs through changes that focus on high school interest topics and oral communication skills.  This was in response to the Nov. 12, 2004 release of the Canadian Parents for French 2004 State of French Second Language Report.  More than 85% of French second language students are enrolled in Core French while only 16.5% of high school students complete their French graduation requirements.

School French classes across Canada need overhaul study: Current programs failing to make high-school graduates bilingual

Saturday, November 13, 2004, Vancouver Sun

OTTAWA -- The federal government's much-publicized $350-million action plan to double the number of bilingual high-school graduates within a decade is doomed to fail unless there is a major overhaul of French classes in schools, a new study concludes.

The State of French Second Language Instruction, released Friday by Canadian Parents for French, found only one in 10 students enrolled in core French programs continues through to Grade 12. Almost half said they are unable to understand the spoken language at graduation.

Ontario has the highest attrition rate at 94.4 per cent. B.C.'s rate of 86.3 per cent is one of the best in the country. Nine of 10 anglophone students learn Canada's other official language in core French programs, usually one period a day of French instruction beginning in Grade 4. Over all, enrolment in core French programs continues to decline in all jurisdictions except Prince Edward Island, which increased only slightly (1.6 per cent) in 2002-03. Over a three-year period, national enrolment dropped 3.6 per cent, or 61,000 students.

The study also found French immersion programs aren't growing as rapidly as they did in the last two decades and need to be revitalized. But enrolment was up in all provinces except New Brunswick in 2002-03. Nationally, enrolment increased by 1.8 per cent.

The largest one-year growth spurt was in Nova Scotia (6.9 per cent). Enrolment in Saskatchewan's French immersion programs grew the fastest, at 4.7 per cent, ahead of B.C. (2.7) and Alberta (2.2). Ontario (0.4 per cent) and Manitoba ( 0.1 per cent) had the slowest rates of growth.

The findings come as the federal government struggles to implement its plan to double the number of bilingual young Canadians, up from the current rate of 24 per cent, by 2013.