Date of publication: Apr 5, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 4 minutes of reading • 13 comments “It is unbelievable that the Liberals are asking us to protect them from ourselves,” said PQ language critic Pascal Bérubé. Photo by Jacques Boissinot / The Canadian Press
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Quebec – Prime Minister François Legault says he is willing to discuss an adaptation of a clause in Quebec’s new language legislation that would make three French-language CEGEP courses compulsory.
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But he stressed that the original amendment – proposed by the Liberals, who now want to repeal it – was approved unanimously in February by the committee examining Bill 96, which is revising the Charter of the French Language. This makes the changes more complicated now. Both opposition parties, the Parti Québécois and the Québec solidaire, said they liked the proposal, which the Liberals now want to reject because it has provoked reactions from the English-speaking community. “This amendment was supported by the four parties here,” Lego told reporters at a news conference. So right now the Liberal Party is saying, ‘Oh, I was wrong to make this proposal.’ “So we have to talk to the other two parties… what do they think about that? Do we give (extension)? “
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Legault said he was surprised by the Liberals’ demand that the amendment be killed, as the party enthusiastically proposed the amendment. Among the Liberals at the table was D’Arcy-McGee MNA David Birnbaum, who is the face of the Liberals for the English-speaking community, Legault noted. “(Byrnebaum said) it is entirely possible to implement it,” Legault said. “So I think at the moment we are looking at what we can do.” Legault’s comments came the same day that Liberal leader Dominique Anglade again found himself trying to justify what the party now admits was a mistake on its part. Meeting with reporters, Anglade acknowledged that the Liberals had not consulted the British community or the CEGEP before proposing the amendment, which the party initially believed would show an open interest in better protecting the French and therefore to attract them. French-speaking voters.
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The amendment had the opposite effect. Not only did the Liberals’ share of the French vote remain stuck, support among non-French speakers fell by 13 percentage points between February and March. At the same time, interest in a possible alternative party dedicated exclusively to minority rights has grown. “This was done in good faith, but we have to acknowledge that the consultation did not go well,” Anglade told reporters. “People should have been more involved.” He reiterated that while the Liberals did not assess the full impact of the amendment, neither did the Avenir Québec Coalition government, which is piloting language reforms and is ultimately responsible for the new law. “Again, the ball is in their court,” said Anglade. “They understand the consequences now. It is not that they do not understand. “They need to talk to the leaders of CEGEP… and really understand how to prevent people from failing.”
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Two weeks ago, the Fédération des cégeps warned that forcing thousands of English-speaking CEGEPs to take three classes in French was tantamount to condemning them for failing to reach college with inadequate French skills. Anglade downplayed the level of resentment in the English-speaking community, insisting that the Liberals had been strong advocates of minority rights, as during the debate on state secularism. “We were very consistent, trying to become the voice of the English-speaking community as well as taking on the responsibility of representing all the Quebec,” he said. “I will always stand behind it – always, always defending these values.” Clearing the amendment is not a simple matter. While Bill 96 has not been formally adopted, the clause in the amendment has been adopted. Its abolition will require the consent of all parties represented on the committee: the CAQ, the Liberals, the PQ and the Quebec Solidarity.
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On Tuesday, neither PQ nor QS appeared optimistic about the opening of the clause. “This is their (Liberals’) problem,” PQ language critic Pascal Bérubé told reporters. “Face it. “Who brought these amendments to the table? The Liberals. What do you want me to do about it? Should I give them a chat? “This is a circus. “It’s unbelievable that the Liberals are asking us to protect them from ourselves.” QS co-chair Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said their committee representative, Ruba Ghazal, voted in favor of the Liberal amendment when it fell on the table on February 23, and QS continues to support it. “It is a depiction of a disoriented party,” Nadeau-Dubois said. “It is no small matter to ask for the amendments they tabled to be withdrawn. “I have not had a long career in the National Assembly, but I have never seen it before.”
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However, Nadeau-Dubois said he would favor a longer period of gradual implementation of the new rules, in order to allow everyone to adapt. Simon Jolin-Barrette, the CAQ minister in charge of Bill 96, did not respond to the Liberals ‘request, but on Tuesday his office released a copy of a debate that revealed that the Liberals’ representatives on the committee were all in favor of the amendment at the time. . The committee resumed work on the bill late Tuesday, but avoided the issue. [email protected] twitter.com/philipauthier
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