Malkin:  your inclusionary suggestions (improving ALL classrooms, expanding choice of specialties) completely miss the point of French Immersion.  It is INTENDED as an elitist program, catering to the wealthiest and loudest-squeaking parents.

It excludes parents who can’t ferry their kids across town, parents who aren’t engaged in their children’s homework, kids with special needs, ESL students, behavior kids, etc.  The POINT of FI is to ensure that your little darling will not be dragged down by kids who count on their fingers and can’t read.  It’s better than many private schools, and it is “free”.

Mcleans wrote about the FI program in BC, where parents slept in their cars for three days to be in line to enroll their kids.  It was hilarious; when an RCMP officer noticed and enquired what was up, the officer’s response was to get into line too. 

French Immersion (and other specialty schools) take pressure off the government to improve all schools.  Parents with resources get better public schools, or quietly drift off to private schools, and the ideal proportion of immersion seats is the one that absorbs this group.  In Halton that seems to be 25%. 

The remaining parents usually don’t complain, and more importantly usually don’t vote.

Hmm ..
I am not very impressed by French immersion but I can definitely see its attraction. I think it is a decent program but it is over hyped.
It is definitely not a strong academic program in the traditional sense of the word academic. It just looks better by comparison to an even lower achievement level.
(Math is taught just as badly as in the English stream.)

The reality is that even if you have a good, competent teacher and good textbooks - which is definitely not the case usually in Ontario elementary classrooms - one can teach effectively ONLY if the students are roughly at the same knowledge level and if there is discipline in the classroom (so that time doesn’t get wasted).
Once we pass students from grade to grade without having the requisite knowledge all bets are off. A big chunk of motivation is gone.
Why would a kid put in the work and learn if it doesn’t make a difference?
Why would a kid behave in class if his classmate with disabilities is allowed to disrupt with impunity?

As a parent why wouldn’t I want to protect my child as much as possible from an environment that due to political correctness is not conducive to learning?

From all the bad options I would choose the one that is least bad. That option is French immersion for a lot of parents.

French immersion is also a bit of a keeping up with the Jones statement. There are quite a few healthy kids from middle class families that struggle at times and its not necessary good for them. But what’s the alternative?

Yes, I can see your point from an intellectual point of view.