From the outset, in his remarks preceding the start of the consultation on his Bill 96, Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette called for calm on Tuesday morning.
In recent weeks, he said he had heard “insane” comments about the piece of legislation, which will revive the language debate in Quebec.
Without naming her, one might think he was referring to lawyer Anne-France Goldwater, who last week associated Bill 96 with the Nazi regime’s Gestapo.
In Quebec, “the time has come to take strong action,” said the minister, to strengthen the status of French and curb its decline, particularly in Montreal.
“Studies show that there is a decline in French”, hence the importance of strengthening, according to him, the legislative framework for its protection.
The hybrid consultation, either by videoconference or in person, will allow, until October 7, to hear about fifty people and organizations wishing to comment on the place of French in Quebec, by suggesting the legislative framework required for secure its future.
This is one of the most important consultations carried out by the Legault government during this mandate.
Fear of a gag
The Liberal spokesperson for linguistic issues, MP Hélène David, expressed concern during the press scrum that the Legault government wanted to gag the opposition by forcing the full adoption of Bill 96. She asked the minister to commit now to giving up imposing the gag order on this bill.
In her view, given its scale and strategic importance, it is unrealistic to expect the bill to be passed this fall.
In the past, the Legault government has used the gag order, a measure in principle exceptional, on four occasions.
An ambitious project to upgrade Bill 101 (Charter of the French language) adopted in 1977 by the government of René Lévesque, Bill 96 aims to review the status of French in Quebec by intervening in several fields of activity. It is certainly one of the most important bills piloted by the Legault government.
It will also undoubtedly be a piece of legislation intended, like Law 21 on the secularism of the State, to confirm the strong identity and nationalist character of the Caquist government.
The question of access to English-language CEGEP will certainly be one of the points under study that will stir up passions. The government has chosen the moderate approach in this area, by refraining from extending the application of Bill 101 to CEGEPs.
The government’s choice to immediately apply the notwithstanding clause to its entire bill, to protect it from any challenge, also risks causing waves.
Bill 96 aims in particular to ensure that the State will play an exemplary role in the use and promotion of French. In particular, it will recognize the right to learn French. In the workplace, we want to force businesses with between 25 and 49 employees to operate in French, to ensure that staff can work in French.
The consultation was launched Tuesday morning by the Office de la langue française (OQLF), which is responsible for applying the law and which will see its powers extended.
Several experts were invited to comment on the government’s choice to include in the Canadian constitution the fact that Quebeckers form a nation and that French is the only official language of Quebec and the common language of that nation.
Quebec also plans to create a French language ministry.
Bill 96 is an ambitious document comprising some 200 clauses.
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