French-only election mailouts a ‘breach of democratic rights’

An English-rights advocacy group says the CAQ’s decision not to send out voter information in English is a direct attack on democracy in Quebec.

The president of Talking. Advocating. Living in Quebec (TALQ), Eva Ludvig, told the Low Down that her organization was “shocked” when it learned that Quebec language minister Jean-François Roberge denied a request from Elections Quebec for an exemption from Bill 96, which would have allowed it to send voter information in both French and English.

“This is a fundamental breach of democratic rights,” said Ludvig. “This is the first time this has happened, and it comes at the last minute when we are already in an election campaign. We were not only surprised; we were shocked, to tell you the truth. That’s the kind of reaction we’ve had from the English-speaking community: shock and anger.”