In the run-up to the federal election on Sept. 20, THE EQUITY will be asking questions to the candidates vying for a seat in Pontiac. Readers can send in their questions to editor@theequity.ca to be printed in upcoming editions. Questions should apply to all candidates and be suitable in scope to be responded to in 200-300 words.

First Question: The Pontiac is bilingual and has a large anglophone population. Bill 96 has proven to be a major concern for the people of the Pontiac. Taking this into consideration, what is your position on the bill?

Gabrielle Desjardins – Bloc Québécois

After several queries, THE EQUITY has not received responses from the Bloc Québécois or their Pontiac representative Gabrielle Desjardin.

Michel Gauthier – Conservative Party

The French language will always have to be protected. There are 8 million francophones in a sea of 400 million anglophones in North America.

But that protection must not be at the expense of the English community’s rights.

We need to keep these two assumptions in mind whenever the language debate comes up, whether at the provincial or federal level.

I also consider that all English-speaking Quebecers and small business owners are entitled to receive services in their own language, the same way French-speaking Canadians want to receive services from the federal government in their language.

At this time, the Regional Association of West Quebecers have done an excellent job to explain bill 96 to the English community. Bill 96 is a tabled bill and there will be consultation this Fall before the final version.

As an MP for Pontiac, one must respect the provincial jurisdictions of the government of Québec. But that does not mean one must remain silent when citizens feel their rights are not respected.

I had the opportunity to attend the consultation session of the Regional Association of West Quebecers in Shawville, which allowed me to understand how much questioning and fear the bill really raises in the English-speaking community of Pontiac. This cannot be ignored by someone who aspires to represent all Pontiac citizens in the House of Commons.

On the federal level, the Conservative Party, as a government, will table a new bill to modernize the law about official languages. This bill will be different from the bill C-32 tabled by the Liberals which contains articles that benefit neither the French nor the English-speaking community.

The Liberals knew their bill would not pass. It was only an electoral ploy to thwart the Bloc Québécois and attract more French-speaking votes.

Shaughn McArthur – Green Party

I absolutely and fully support the need to protect French as part of our national identity. Bill 96 and C32 are not the way to go about it.

Bill 96 reflects Quebec’s tired practice of gamesmanship to extract concessions from the Federal Government. Bill C-32 is a knee-jerk Liberal response favours Quebec votes over protecting the Charter.

Through its pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause, Bill 96 stands to move Quebec closer to becoming a Charter-free zone. It also invites further uses of the “notwithstanding clause” by other provinces. Entrenching two tiers of rights anywhere in Canada is in nobody’s interest. Going so in Quebec risks re-opening schisms between French- and English-speaking populations that we have worked for decades to repair.

Other likely impacts of Bill 96 are equally lamentable: Limiting the ability of students to obtain an education that will equip them to succeed in a global economy, burdening entrepreneurs, and pushing employees to leave the province.

I believe that French language and culture are stronger when Quebec is stronger and united and that these bills stand to do the opposite.

Denise Giroux – New Democratic Party

The NDP supports the need to protect minority languages and cultures throughout Canada. Québec is uniquely placed as a French-speaking minority in North America, within which a significant population of anglophones co-exist. Anglophones make up almost a quarter of the population in the Outaouais. There are another million francophones outside of Québec who work hard to protect their language and culture.

I am franco-Ontarian, born in the north, raised in Hamilton. I moved to Québec 20 years ago so as to be able to live fully both cultures. While still in Hamilton, I worked with groups like l’Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario to advocate for our right to French services, and I personally provided these through my law practice.

Ontario finally recognized francophones’ right to government services in the 90s in some parts of the province, including Hamilton, where francophones make up at least 5% of the population. Bill 96, in comparison, places authority in municipalities with less than 50% anglo-populations to decide whether or not to maintain their bilingual status.

Businesses generally have the incentive to continue to serve both communities equally, so it seems government services to anglophones raises the most concern. The community can aim to strengthen these through the consultation process to ensure services long-term. To this end, the Regional Association of Western Québec was recently in Shawville, and will be in Wakefield soon. I trust that people will learn more at these meetings and ensure their concerns are heard by the provincial government.

On the federal front, it’s worth noting that over the last four years, the Liberal government neglected and even reduced support under the Official Languages Act in some areas. An NDP government would enhance the Action Plan for Official Languages to improve access to services in the language of choice, including working with the provinces and territories to improve minority language education.

Sophie Chatel – Liberal Party

The situation of French in the country, as well as in the province of Quebec, is unique and the government has the responsibility to promote and protect the French language within Quebec and beyond. That being said, the Liberal government also intends to do its part to continue to protect the rights of linguistic minorities in the various regions across the country.

This includes anglophone communities in Quebec. I intend to ensure that essential services are still provided in both official languages. The Liberal Party is aware of the Bill and is studying its contents very carefully, being conscious of the aforementioned concerns.

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