Quebec tables law to extend Bill 101 to English-language adult and vocational education

“We’re going to create a massive backlog,” EMSB Chairman Joe Ortona said as Quebec moves to expand Bill 101 to apply to adult and vocational education. School boards are warning the law will lead to labour shortages.

With just days remaining in the National Assembly’s spring session, the Quebec government has tabled legislation that would extend Bill 101 language restrictions to adult education and vocational training programs, a move critics say could significantly disrupt workforce training across the province.

French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge introduced Bill 8 on Thursday, saying the measure is intended to strengthen the use of French among newcomers and close what the government views as a gap in Quebec’s language laws.

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That concern was also echoed by anglophone rights group TALQ, who qualified the bill as operating on “assumptions.”

“The government has not presented any evidence demonstrating that English-language vocational training poses a threat to the long-term vitality of French in Quebec,” TALQ President Eva Ludvig said.