On Tuesday afternoon, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Quebec’s majority government, officially adopted the controversial Bill 96 in the National Assembly one year after first tabling the legislation.
The final vote was 78 to 29. Members of the Liberal Party and Parti Québécois both voted in opposition of the bill, but for conflicting reasons. The former believed the bill went too far while the latter said it did not go far enough.
In recent weeks, the law that expands Quebec’s ability to mandate the use of French in public and private settings has come under fire via a series of protests and petitions from various groups across the province.
Its contents consist of 200 amendments — many of which impact health and social services for anglophones — aimed at reinforcing the status of the French in provincial legislation.
Here are just some of the points from the newly adopted legislation that may directly impact Quebec’s anglophone population.
- The speaking French will be mandated in companies with more than 25 employees.
- Limitations on the number of students accepted into English-speaking schools will be set.
- Fines of up to $30,000 and the revoking of the status of companies may be enacted if there are repeated incidents of employees communicating in other languages.
- Documents submitted to local government agencies to obtain permits, subsidies, or financial assistance must be written exclusively in French.
- The government will have the right to seize one’s work phone to verify that they are communicating in French.
- A French-language minister will be appointed and put in charge of ensuring compliance with the new legislation.
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