Federal Bill C-13 has two main purposes. The first is to modernize Canada’s Official Languages Act. The second is to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act. Many legal experts, including former Supreme Court Justice Michel Bastarache, have expressed discomfort with the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act. … Read more
At the House Committee on Official Languages’ meeting on Jan, 31, 2023, a Bloc Québécois motion to insert “French as the common language of Quebec” into Canada’s Official Languages Act (OLA) was defeated. A majority of MPs on the committee studying Bill C-13, which would amend the OLA were uncomfortable with the concept of a … Read more
The Government of Canada’s Bill C-13 continues to progress slowly through the legislative process in Ottawa. Introduced in March 2022, C-13 now sits with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages, which began its first of eight meetings for clause-by-clause consideration of the legislation on December 13th. Barring anything extraordinary, the Committee is … Read more
Background At the Superior Court, Justice Marc-André Blanchard found that Law 21 violates the right to freedom of religion under subsection 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter). However, Justice Blanchard also ruled that the law, despite its infringement of fundamental freedoms, remains legally valid due to the law’s invocation of the notwithstanding … Read more
Bill C-13 is new legislation proposed by the Government of Canada to modernize the Official Languages Act (OLA). It also proposes to enact a new law – the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act. The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) opposes C-13 and is concerned about the new direction being proposed by … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network hosts a series of virtual town halls with provincial party leaders ahead of the 2022 provincial election. The purpose of this series is to discuss electoral issues of importance to English-speaking Quebecers and our community’s place in Quebec. On Tuesday, September 7, we heard from Éric Duhaime, leader of the … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network hosts a series of virtual town halls with provincial party leaders ahead of the 2022 provincial election. The purpose of this series is to discuss electoral issues of importance to English-speaking Quebecers and our community’s place in Quebec. The first guest in this series is Quebec Liberal Party Leader Dominique … Read more
August 12, 2022 – Earlier today, Justice Chantal Corriveau of the Superior Court of Quebec handed down her judgment regarding a stay on the legal translation obligations of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec. In her decision, Justice Corriveau granted the stay – i.e. a legal ‘pause’ – … Read more
On Aug. 17, Statistics Canada is scheduled to release linguistic diversity and use of English and French in Canada data produced through the 2021 Census. This category of data release tends to generate intense media interest – especially in Quebec – and these Census results are being released at a particularly sensitive juncture, given that … Read more
Members of the National Assembly yesterday delivered their final speeches and remarks on Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec and commentary from the Committee on Culture and Education, which had reviewed the bill on a clause-by-clause basis. Read more
Bill C-13 is not the bill that the official language minorities asked for. In Bill C-13, the federal government is poised to abandon half a century of official language policy and turn the OLA into legislation aimed at the protection and promotion of one official language. Read more
Over the past two days, the National Assembly discussed Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec and commentary from the Committee on Culture and Education, which earlier reviewed the bill on a clause-by-clause basis. Introducing the bill Wednesday, Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) MNA Mathieu Lévesque outlined the various “pillars” … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. After a particularly intensive day, the committee last night concluded its examination. Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its article-by-article analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members discussed clauses 147 through 164, which include ten new adopted amendments tabled by Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette. These modify Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act and the Courts of Justice … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members discussed clauses 107 and 125 to 146, which make several modifications to Quebec’s Code of Civil Procedure, the provincial Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (Quebec Charter), … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), in collaboration with the English Parents’ Committee Association (EPCA), Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA), and Quebec Federation of Home & School Associations (QFHSA), is hosting a webinar on the impact of Bill 96 on student success. Education has been at the forefront of ongoing discussions in Bill 96’s … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members discussed clauses 115 through 126, which make several modifications to the Charter of the French Language. These clauses also make many changes to other legislation, including the … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members finished discussing clause 114 and returned to the bill’s clause 107, to discuss Art. 165.22 of the Charter of the French Language. Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members discussed clauses 113 and 114 of the bill. Minister of Justice and Minister Responsible for the French Language Simon Jolin-Barrette added a half-dozen new amendments to the … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members discussed clauses 101 through 107. These provisions add a slew of new articles to the Charter of the French Language. They change the structure and practices of … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members discussed clauses 84 to 100, covering Articles 141 through 163.1 of the Charter of the French Language. This section introduces the new entity referred to as Francisation … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday continued its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members discussed clauses 63 through 83, covering new Articles 88.14 through 140 of the Charter of the French Language. This section relates to businesses that operate within the … Read more
The QCGN presents its overview of Bill C-13, An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages, introduced in the House of Commons on March 1, 2022. Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members completed their discussion of clause 62, covering the new Articles 88.9 to 88.13 of the Charter of the French Language. This clause focuses on the promotion of … Read more
The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education yesterday resumed its clause-by-clause analysis of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. Members continued their discussion of clause 58 of the bill, covering Article 88.0.12 of the Charter of the French Language. There were three absences during parts of the … Read more