Politicians in the Pontiac echo the sentiment that there need to be clauses amended in Bill 96 before it gets voted on, possibly before the assembly sits in June 2022, as it can impact the anglophone community in the Pontiac.

Pontiac MNA André Fortin presented the petition that was voted on by the MRC Council of Mayors to the National Assembly on April 1, 2022.

The petition, which was initially announced during a Bill 96 community information session held by the . . .

Regional Association of Western Quebecers (RAWQ) on August 3, 2021, requested that portions of the bill be amended which could negatively impact anglophone or bilingual communities. It also seeks to ensure that students could study in the language of their choice. Lastly, the petition seeks to ensure that Bill 96 does not create an administrative burden for small businesses.

Following that session, Warden Jane Toller offically launched the petition on September 14, 2021. It was available at various locations throughout the Pontiac for residents to sign, around 1500 Pontiacers signed it.

While speaking to Fortin, he explained that once presented to the house the CAQ government has 30 days to present a written response. “The idea was to send a clear message to the CAQ minister who is putting forward this bill, and to Premier Legault, that some parts of this bill are simply unacceptable in our part of the province.”

He highlighted that he hopes the CAQ government hears the message from Pontiacers as this bill “goes too far,” said Fortin. He added he will be voting against this bill as it impacts services and the anglophone community as a whole.

“I think the Pontiac is a good example of the fact that Quebecers look beyond such division,” said Fortin.

Quebec’s language law, Bill 96, stems from the original charter Bill 101 which was first proposed in 1970. The bill sought to make French the normal and everyday language of Quebec. The objectives, as stated in the bill are to protect Quebec culture through the preservation of the French language within the province

Local politicians speak up on Bill 96

After the meeting with the RAWQ last year, where many expressed their frustrations, Toller felt there needed to be an action plan, a way for folks to voice their opinions and be heard and that’s why she set out to do the petition.

“There were many people whose first language is French that also supported it because I think they understand that it’s a question of human rights. It’s a question of us being proud to be bilingual,” Toller told The Equity.

She hopes she can speak to Premier Legault to build a case for why it is a great benefit to Quebec to allow the Pontiac to remain as bilingual as possible.

“For me, it’s a matter of showing respect. I represent French and English people here. I should be able to communicate in both languages. So I encourage everybody to become bilingual,” said Toller.

“Bill 96 is a terrible bill not only for the English that they’re trying to push out of Quebec, that seems to be the purpose, but it’s also affecting their own francophones. They won’t be able to get educated in English, therefore they’re pretty much going to be prisoners in Quebec when it comes to jobs,” said Bill McCleary, mayor of Shawville.

McCleary sees that the most harmful impact on the anglophone community is not being able to get services in English, and as the numbers of francophones increase, he feels the English community will be pushed aside.

“The French language is not in danger, there are more people speaking French now than there ever were before,” he said, and added that the bill wasn’t well thought out.

With the notwithstanding clause placed on the bill, McCleary doesn’t see a win in sight, noting that you can fight the bill but “the cards are stacked against you,” he said.

When asked what he hopes to see from his MNA, McCleary said he is powerless since the liberals are in opposition and are not the ruling party. “His hands are kind of tied down and you can present all the petitions he wants. Being in a minority they might listen or they might not.”

Christine Francoeur, mayor of Fort Coulonge, agrees with the sentiment that the bill has some clauses that are harmful to anglophones, but she also sees the benefit of learning and being taught French the proper way, she noted.

As a francophone herself she believes that French should be respected as the first language but does not support people’s ability to be served in English if they choose to and sees it as a great benefit if people spoke both languages.

“I am against saying that English should not be one of the options that I am against. We do need to be bilingual here,” said Francoeur.

Toller believes that with this bill the CAQ government was trying to promot French culture, but “I think there are lots of ways to promote French culture, and it’s not by discriminating against English-speaking people. English and French has played an important role in the development of Quebec, and we just all need to live well together,” said Toller.

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