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The passage of Bill 96 revising the French Language Charter was one thing. Applying it to the daily life of citizens, the education, municipal and business sectors is another. The CAQ has been around for a long time.
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June 27, 2022 • 2 hours ago • 4 minutes of reading • 61 comments Quebec Minister of Justice and French-speaking Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette holds a book containing the 1867 Canadian constitution during a press conference, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 in the Quebec City legislature. Photo by Jacques Boissinot / The Canadian Press
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QUEBEC – It may come as a surprise given the heated debate surrounding the legislation, but some of the most important changes include Bill 96 amending the French Language Charter will not apply overnight .
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Approved on May 23 in the final weeks of Quebec’s 42nd legislature, the bill contains 200 clauses, major and minor, that, according to the government, reinforce the use of French in all areas of Quebec’s life: from the courts and the education system to the municipalities and even the birth. and death certificates.
The final version of the bill, with its dozens of amendments and sub-amendments, is not yet available. Government officials say lawyers and bureaucrats are still reviewing the legislation and will release a final version “soon.”
Less well known is when the different elements of the law will be implemented. A chronology provided to the Gazeta de Montreal by the ministry responsible for the French language outlines the way forward.
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The first change immediately after its adoption in the legislature involves the preamble to the bill and the Canadian Constitution.
Bill 96 introduces two new articles into the Constitution that recognize the distinctive character of Quebec. Section 90Q.1 states that Quebecers form a nation, while 90Q.2 states that “French will be the only official language of Quebec. It is also the common language of the nation of Quebec.”
Describing the insertion of the articles as more than symbolic, the minister responsible for the bill, Simon Jolin-Barrette, proudly displayed a copy of the amendments inserted to the Constitutional Act of 1867 in May. He said the additions give official status to the collective rights of Quebecers and the sustainability of French.
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On the other hand, analysts point out that the courts have not had a chance to prove the importance or legal weight of the clauses. Nor do they change the fact that Quebec never signed the 1982 Constitution.
Another immediate effect of the bill was that Jolin-Barrette obtained a new cabinet title, moving from minister responsible for the French language to minister of the French language.
The work includes the creation of a full-fledged ministry with deputy ministers, a budget of $ 27.4 million for the period 2022-2023 and a staff of 70. Proud of what he achieved, Jolin-Barrette addressed last Thursday at the prestigious Académie française in Paris, where he outlined what Quebec has achieved to strengthen French.
Finally, immediately applicable with the passage of the bill, is the clause submitted by federal regulatory corporations such as Canada Post and banks with 50 employees and up to the rules of the charter in order to guarantee workers the right to work in French.
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The government has not explained how it will work. Meanwhile, the federal government’s own revision of the Official Languages Act has a similar goal.
Other changes in Quebec will begin a year later. As of June 2023, Quebec’s new single-language French language learning services agency, Francisation Québec, is expected to be up and running, as well as new free French courses for any Quebecker who wants to improve their skills. linguistic.
Originally an idea by Jacques-Cartier Liberal MP Greg Kelley, Jolin-Barrette made it a reality in Bill 96.
June 2023 is also the date when French will be used exclusively as a language of communication by the government. Law 96, however, includes a battery of exceptions where English can still be used.
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In the 2023-2024 academic year, the government will begin to apply the enrollment limit of Act 96 to Francophones and Allophones in English CEGEPs. Francophones and allophones in the English system will have to pass a French proficiency test to graduate, the same test that French-speaking CEGEP students take.
It is not until the 2024-2025 academic year that begins the requirement that English CEGEP students take three courses in French or three more courses in French as a second language to obtain their Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC).
Again, questions abound about how this will be implemented, how it could affect student grades, and how it could affect the jobs of hundreds of teachers. CEGEP leaders say they plan to push for more time to implement the new plan.
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Also from June 2024 a translation into French is required for court documents submitted by corporations. Meanwhile, this clause faces a legal challenge.
The group with the longest adaptation time is business. They have until June 2025 to change their branded trade marks to ensure the “net predominance” of French. The rules will cost companies a package.
It is also not until June 2025 that smaller companies with between 25 and 49 employees have to follow letter franchising rules, which ensure jobs are complied with by law 96.
Given the long term of full implementation of the bill, what are the possibilities for it to be changed along the way? It depends on who forms the next government in this fall’s general election.
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If, as expected, the CAQ wins the majority, don’t expect anything in the way of changes. After all, it is the law of the CAQ.
If the Liberals form the government, they have promised to amend the bill but not to repeal it. They would eliminate the six-month rule for immigrants to obtain services in their first language, the enrollment limit, and regain freedom of choice to access CEGEPs.
If Quebec Solidaire forms the government, it promises to withdraw the immigration clause as well, but to leave much of the law the same. QS is the only other party to have voted in favor of Bill 96.
If the Parti Québécois forms the next government, expect it to discard the bill and introduce one that is much tougher.
Two new parties focused, among other things, on minority rights, the Canadian Party of Quebec and the Montreal Bloc, promise to repeal the bill in the unlikely event that anyone forms a government.
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pauthier@postmedia.com
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