MONTREAL, May 27 (Reuters) – Supporters of Quebec’s new law to promote the use of French in the Canadian province claim it as the most important measure in nearly half a century to protect the language in North America. North, mostly English-speaking.
But the law passed by most Quebec lawmakers on Tuesday faces opposition from the English minority, businesses, health advocates and indigenous peoples just as the province goes to the polls. in October.
Developed by the Nationalist Government of the Quebec Future Coalition (CAQ), Bill 96 requires students to take more French classes at English universities and affects areas from court hearings to recruitment.
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Language remains a sensitive issue in Quebec, mostly French-speaking, where unhappiness with English proficiency prompted the rise of the separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ) in the 1970s.
In 1977, the passage of Act 101 made French the everyday business language of Quebec and forced the children of immigrants to attend primary and secondary school in French, which led to the departure. of many English speakers.
REQUESTING FRENCH SERVICE
Law 96 opens the door to lawsuits against stores that do not serve customers in French, says one expert. Previously, Quebecers refused service in French, complaining to the language control dog in the province.
Alexandre Fallon, a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, said the law would also apply to e-commerce sites run by companies outside of Quebec, and the increased risk of liability causes some companies to consider stopping the service for to Quebecers.
“A lot of companies that look at this say it’s okay, okay, I’m going to stop serving Quebec customers because I can’t serve them 100% in French, so I don’t run the risk of being sued,” Fallon said.
BILINGUAL RECRUITMENT
Employers must now make a reasonable effort to prevent languages other than French from becoming a work requirement. This could make it difficult, for example, for hospitals to offer services to patients in another language.
MORE FRENCH WORK
Contracts should be provided to consumers in French even if the parties want it in English, increasing translation costs. The court proceedings should now be in French for companies, Fallon said.
SERVICES FOR IMMIGRANTS
Immigrants would not be able to access most government services in a language other than French six months after their arrival. The Quebec government has said health care would be exempt from the new law.
FEDERAL CONCERNS ABOUT THE LAW 96
Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that he had “concerns” over Bill 96, as the federal government is responsible for protecting the rights of language minorities.
CAQ leader and Quebec Prime Minister Francois Legault has said he is willing to invoke the so-called harmless clause, which allows a provincial government to repeal certain aspects of the Canada Bill of Rights at five-year intervals. .
Justice Minister David Lametti has not ruled out challenging the law in court this week.
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Report by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Edited by David Gregorio
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