Haynes: Bill C-13 throws Quebec Anglo ‘under the bus’, says QCGN

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As turmoil subsides after a split over Bill 96, a Quebec law to strengthen the protection of the French, the rights of English-speaking Quebecers face another threat from an unlikely source. I’m here.

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The Quebec Community Group Network has expressed concern about the impending passage of Bill C-13, an update to Canada’s official language law. This could be done before Christmas.

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The organization, which represents the interests of Quebec’s English-speaking minority, said the new federal law would raise the issue because the new federal law refers to Quebec’s French Language Charter, which recently Bill 96 raised above Canada’s and Quebec’s human rights charters. says there is. You are nevertheless protected against legal objections by clause.

In an open letter recently published by QCGN and inviting Canadians to sign, President Eva Ludwig said that despite the federal Liberal government considering eventually joining Prior to this, we lament Ottawa’s tacit support for the use of constitutional overrides across the bill. He opposes fighting Quebec’s Bills 96 and 21 (the state’s secular laws), and recently Ontario Premier Doug Ford, despite a provision to impose employment contracts on striking education workers. accused of unfairly exercising

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“By passing Bill C-13, Congress would change federal law to acquiesce to the French Charter as amended by Bill 96. It denies the basic rights and freedoms of Quebecers who speak English,” Ludvig said. In his letter, he warns and asks for the reference to be removed.

In an interview, she explained that there are other aspects of Bill C-13 that are concerning. Split federally regulated private business rules into new bills. Quebec allows businesses to choose whether to comply with state or federal law. This undermines the historical equality that has prevailed between the French and English minority communities by recognizing the rights of French-speaking citizens, employees and consumers and excluding English-speaking people in Quebec. Danger.

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Ludvig said: “English-speaking Quebecers once felt they were isolated, disenfranchised and disrespected. And seeing that this was happening in some sense at the federal level, I hope English-speaking Quebecers will express it.”

Bill C-13 was introduced after the final federal ballot of 2021 elected the second minority Liberal government. Ludvig said many of the unfavorable provisions crept into the law as Quebec Premier François Legault stepped up his nationalist rhetoric. Quebec’s different treatment of English-speaking minorities compared to the rest of Francophone Canada, and the reference to the Charte de la langue française, was actually proposed by Sonia Lebel, Quebec’s Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs at the time. it was done. Amending Federal Law.

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Marianne Blondin, spokeswoman for Ginette Petipas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages, said in her 2020 Speech to the throne that the federal government has a responsibility to strengthen the French language in and around Quebec, given the predominance of English in North America. said he recognized. However, she argued that nothing in the bill would deprive English-speaking Quebecers of their rights.

“Although Bill C-13 states that ‘French is the official language of Quebec,’ this is the only reference to the French Charter of Quebec in Bill C-13. It doesn’t stand in the way of C-13’s commitment to protecting speaking communities,” Blondin said. “In Bill C-13 there is no reference to Bill 96 and our government opposed the application of the French Charter to federal law. I voted against it, I would have done just that.

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Reassurance aside, what matters is what the law is, Ludvig said.

“What we are concerned about is what is written down,” she said. “Ministers change, governments change, but the law remains the same.”

The QCGN’s legal analysis suggests that because of the French Charter’s new untouchable status, even a mere mention of it would have far-reaching implications, and that it is unprecedented for the federal government to refer to state law.

“The word I use is acquiescence. They don’t actively or explicitly endorse it, but broadly they certainly do,” said Joan Fraser, former senator and QCGN board member. said Mr. “I really feel like I’ve been thrown under the bus this time. It’s just very disappointing.”

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This week, the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages ​​proposed amendments to Bill C-13 so that the emphasis on protecting the French language does not undermine the principle of equality between two linguistic minority communities. It noted that the reference to the Charte de la langue française was “abnormal”, but members of the Left Committee were divided.

QCGN led the prosecution against Bill 96 in Quebec to mobilize communities and deny immigration services in languages ​​other than French six months after arrival to various sectors of society, from the business community to health workers. educated about the impact on basic rights such as Or grant the Office québécois de la langue française extrajudicial search and seizure powers.

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While the legal government has attempted to downplay or deny these effects, it has seen English-speaking Bill 96 opponents as “angry people” who are hostile to efforts to protect the French.

According to Ludvig, the federal government’s response has not been great.

“When we stand up for ourselves, it often happens that we don’t understand or believe in the importance of protecting the French language. That the French are vulnerable in the North American context “But we are in Quebec, a minority community living in a minority context, with 1.3 million people, so the federal government has always been our lifeline.” I feel abandoned by

ahanes@postmedia.com