October 1, 2021
Editorial: Bill 96 is draconian and harmful
The QCGN is also right to ask that, concerning health care, it should be made explicit in the bill that its English eligibility restrictions will not apply.
It has become an article of faith that French is in decline in Quebec and that Bill 96 is needed in response. But much depends on what markers are used to measure decline. It was disconcerting to see Jolin-Barrette pointedly ask both QCGN president Marlene Jennings and Russell Copeman of the Quebec English School Boards Association, who appeared separately, for acknowledgements that French is in decline. As experienced politicians, Jennings and Copeman both spotted the landmine, and deftly sidestepped. What was Jolin-Barrette trying to achieve?