The Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ) sets the proportion of Anglophones required for a municipality to obtain bilingual status at 40%. The union’s proposal is below the 50% threshold already provided for in Law 101.
“There is a certain tolerance in this proposal,” admitted its secretary general, Denis Bolduc, on the second day of consultations on Bill 96. “At a certain level, the obligation to provide services in English could disappear, ”he added, specifying that it will be up to the legislator to set the threshold.
Bill 96 formalizes the status of French as the only official and common language of Quebec. It contains a series of measures to strengthen its presence, including removing the bilingual status of municipalities where less than half of the residents are native English speakers. They would have the option of passing a resolution within 120 days to opt out.
Fifty of the 89 municipalities or boroughs who enjoy bilingual status in Quebec derogate from this condition, according to a review carried out by The duty.
“For us, it is contradictory to want to ensure the French face of Quebec without ensuring a certain consistency in the whole of the Quebec public administration”, specifies the union in its brief. He is concerned about the requirement of bilingualism or “only knowledge of English” as a job criterion.
“To fight for bilingualism in Montreal or in Quebec is to fight for the death of French,” said Mr. Bolduc. I do not want to exaggerate in my words, but the Quebec government must take care of the French language. “
The parliamentary commission is to continue in the afternoon with the testimony of the Union of Quebec municipalities and sociologist Guy Rocher.
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