Last week, the provincial government took a firm stance as champions of the French language.
Were they celebrating Francophone art and culture? Announcing funds for French-language schools and institutions?
No.
They were urging the Hospital in Lachute to put a stop to an egregious violation of the law: English words.
Locals were understandably upset when the Office québécoise de la langue française ordered the hospital to remove all English signage in December, with the actions carried out last week. Under the law, only institutions that offer the majority of their services in English are allowed any language other than French on their signs.
By picking this target – labels reading “Emergency” and “Parking” outside a hospital – Quebec’s language police appear rather hot to trot when it comes to the suppression of minority languages, now that they have the go-ahead from their elected overseers.
In December, CAQ Culture Minister Nathalie Roy promised stricter enforcement of the rules laid out in Bill 101, Quebec’s French-language charter.
Premier Legault himself addressed the debacle in Lachute, doubling down on the decision by stating to reporters: “They weren’t respecting the law. Bill 101 has to be respected; that’s what we will do.”
Imagine having the audacity to call yourself a public servant and then spend state resources looking for ways to inconvenience sick and injured people.
Not only was the move denounced by all the local mayors, it seems that even the CAQ’s Parliamentary Secretary for English relations, Christopher Skeete, was caught off guard by the move, announcing on Twitter Thursday: “The PM is correct that we must respect our laws but healthcare is a different ball game, especially in areas like Lachute where we have a 17 per cent English speaking population.”
It took less than a day for Skeete to release a limp-wristed follow-up statement that conformed to the party line: “Our government is committed to respecting existing language legislation as well as guaranteeing access to health services for all Quebecers, including English-speaking Quebecers.”
Bill 101 has caveats that allow for exceptions when it comes to essential services like education and healthcare, so what purpose does this obtuse interpretation of the law serve? Why are Quebec taxpayers being subjected to the whims of faceless bureaucrats and their petty grievances?
The dolts who green-lit this senseless provocation should resign, as they clearly aren’t serving the public interest. The protection and promotion of the French language shouldn’t come at the expense of common sense.
Caleb Nickerson
