Employers must do much more for the protection of French

The business community and employers’ and trade organizations will have to make their contribution in order to protect French, believes the CAQ government, while Bill 96 should be adopted before the summer break.

“The protection of the French language, our common language, will require efforts from everyone, including businesses and chambers of commerce. It is a collective responsibility,” said Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette’s office in a written statement sent to the Log.

This clarification comes at a time when the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) believes that the strengthening of the Charter of the French language, a flagship project of the CAQ government, is making business people nervous.

The specter of restless exodus

According to an article in The Canadian Press, various organizations, such as the CCMM, believe that the law could harm Quebec’s economy and cause a new exodus of businesses.

When Bill 101 was passed in 1977, companies decided to leave Quebec. The most famous case remains that of Sunlife, which had moved its household to Toronto.

Called to clarify its remarks, the CCMM was not available yesterday to comment on the file. However, the organization issued a press release claiming to support “the spirit and objectives of the bill”.

However, the Chamber says it has reservations about the bill, in particular “with regard to certain provisions that do not sufficiently take into account the reality of businesses”.

The bill provides for the francization of SMEs with 25 to 49 employees. Previously, this requirement was aimed at those with 50 or more workers.

Another article would require employers to take all “necessary means” to avoid imposing bilingualism in order to obtain or keep a position.

The CCMM had been strongly criticized for having invited the leader of Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, unilingual Anglophone, to its platform last November.

The air carrier is also one of the organization’s sponsors, as is Canadian National, which has also been denounced in recent weeks for the omnipresence of English.

In the past, Simon Jolin-Barrette and Chamber CEO Michel Leblanc had heated exchanges over the bill, with the minister accusing the president of “scaring businesses”.

Joined by The newspaperanother chamber of commerce, that of Quebec, affirmed that its members “do not feel any concern” at this time in relation to Bill 96.

CFIB fears paperwork

But another organization, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is disappointed with the process and believes that the bill will impose more burden and costs on SMEs.

“We are not against French and protecting it. But we ask a lot of paperwork from companies with 25 employees and we reduce their deadlines. We believe that it is very difficult for SMEs, especially in the context of a labor shortage,” said François Vincent, vice-president of the organization.