Dominique Anglade says Anglo-Saxons are better off with liberals despite lack of debate over language

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QUEBEC – Despite the lack of concrete proposals directed at the English community, Liberal leader Dominique Anglade said on Saturday that Anglophones are still better off with her party than the Avenir Québec Coalition.

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And Anglade said the party is not going to debate its new 27-point language policy this weekend because no one decided to bring the issue to the floor.

“There is a significant difference,” Anglade told reporters at a press conference when asked about her party’s offer to the English-speaking community, which has often complained that the party takes it for granted, but vote for her en masse anyway.

“Remember Bill 9 on immigration, remember the way things were run at school boards,” he said. Remember the way (Prime Minister) François Legault talks about historical Anglophones. Remember the way they approach situations like what is happening with Bill 96 when trying to create a confrontation.

“I think there is a big difference between the Liberal Party and the CAQ. I don’t think the CAQ wants to unite, I think they want to divide Quebecers on this issue. I do not want to do that.”

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Released before the convention, the proposals to be debated this weekend barely mention the community. There is a motion asking the party to support the demands of English-speaking Quebecers to protect the “independence and autonomy” of English-speaking school boards.

Another calls for a liberal English-language secretariat satellite office to be opened on the South Shore.

But a debate on the liberals’ new policy on language, which was announced in April by Anglade and, in many ways, is similar to the CWC’s own policy, is not on the table.

“I didn’t tell anyone to say that I want him to talk about this or not to talk about this issue,” Anglade said. “If the issue did not arise, that is why it is not reflected in the proposals that are here today.

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“Are you going to find a member of the Liberal Party who disagrees (with the policy)? Safely. It is normal because we are a debate party. I hope people have discussions.

“But I also hope that the Liberal Party can come together and say, broadly speaking, we agree and we are moving forward.”

Anglade defended the way the party proceeded with politics.

“We used the tools that we had at the time, without having a convention to go ahead and do that,” he said. “All I’m saying is that if there was a member who wanted to present a proposal here at the convention, they could have done so.”

Anglade defended the liberal language policy that, like the CAQ, calls for a reinforcement of the Charter of the French Language, Bill 101.

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“I really think that when it comes to the French language, there are things that we need to improve in Quebec,” Anglade said. “We have to be able to have that conversation with everyone.

“I think a lot of English-speaking people agree that we want to protect the French language. They do not agree with the way the CAQ is approaching the issue. Regarding Bill 96, (people) say that there are a number of amendments that must be made because we do not agree with many of the ideas.

“At the end of the day, I really think we can do this together.”

Bill 96 is currently in the last phase of the legislative process before its adoption; clause-by-clause study by a committee of the legislature. Of the 202 articles, five have been approved.

In his opening speech to the convention on Friday, Anglade reached out to the community saying that he finds Legault’s use of the term “historical Anglophones” offensive to define who is eligible for services in English.

“Let me be very clear: you are Quebecers, à part entière, and you expect to be recognized in words, in actions, in law, today and every day,” Anglade said.

About 800 liberals attend the convention in Quebec City. The party is preparing a policy for the 2022 elections.

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