Thousands of Quebec anglophones risk ‘being left behind’ as French-only election guides are mailed for the first time

Thousands of English-speaking Quebecers may have difficulty finding out how and where to vote as election guides and notices are being mailed only in French for the first time in a provincial campaign.

Voters seeking English versions will instead be directed to the Élections Québec website, either directly or through a QR code printed on the French documents, potentially posing difficulties for those who either do not own the technology or need help using it. Around one in five Quebecers 75 and older do not own a smartphone, computer or tablet, according to a recent study.

Élections Québec said Tuesday that the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s sweeping language law changes in Bill 96 require voting guides and reminder cards to be mailed only in French. It’s part of the CAQ government’s eight-year drive to enforce French in daily life in Quebec — on signs, in workplaces, at universities, and even attempted in health care at one point. The latter sparked fury before being walked back.

“This is extremely concerning,” Eva Ludvig, president of TALQ, a coalition of English-speaking community groups, told The Gazette. “It’s a very slippery slope for democracy.” “Élections Québec is an independent and neutral institution. Its mandate is to ensure citizens have the information they need to participate fully and to ensure fairness, not to interpret language legislation.”

Ludvig added that TALQ is writing to Élections Québec to ask it to reverse the decision.