The Legality of Bill 96 & C-32: No to Quebec's Foreign Language Laws

 

Photo by Lifepatiently

The founder of the advocacy group “Our Bilingual Quebec/Canada: No to Bill 96 & C-32” warning the world

by Brenda Kilhoffer

Introduction: What is Bill 96?

Bill 96 is a bill that was passed in Quebec in 2015. It's also called "An Act to promote the use of French as a language of instruction and as a language of work." 

In an interview on the Cheap Mama Life Podcast, Giovanni, a health worker (social service technician) and founder of the advocacy group “Our Bilingual Quebec/Canada: No to Bill 96 & C-32” which was formed to sound the alarm about Quebec’s Bill 96, a Canadian province’s proposed law which severely threatens human and civil rights, educates us on more.

Photo: Giovanni, found of 

“Our Bilingual Quebec/Canada: No to Bill 96 & C-32”

The problem with Quebec's proposed new language laws

Bill 96 and Bill C-32 are the two bills that are being contested by the advocates like “Our Bilingual Quebec/Canada: No to Bill 96 & C-32” of bilingualism in Canada. The Quebec government is proposing to change the language laws to make French the only official language. This would mean that English would no longer be an official language in Quebec.

The problem with Bill 96 and Bill C-32 is that it does not consider all of Canada's linguistic diversity. It is important for people to be able to speak both English and French, as well as other languages, so they can interact with people from different cultures.

Bill 96 and C-32 violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a part of Canada's Constitution. It guarantees certain rights to all people in Canada. Bill 96 and C-32 violate some of these rights.

Bill 96 violates the freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by section 2(b) of the charter. It also violates our freedom from unreasonable search or seizure, guaranteed by section 8(2)(a). These two sections are listed in the bill as clauses that can be violated without a warrant for the purposes of law enforcement or national security.

C-32 also violates these rights, but it does so more explicitly than Bill 96 does because it includes provisions that would allow for an infringement on these freedoms.

Conclusion: Get Involved in Protecting our Language Rights by Signing the Petition!

The new language law in Quebec is a threat to the rights of the francophone minorities in Canada.

The petition against the new language law in Quebec is a great way for Canadians to protect their language rights. It’s important that we all take action and sign the petition. You really stay involved by joining the Facebook group of the advocacy group “Our Bilingual Quebec/Canada: No to Bill 96 & C-32”.

Join the group using this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/143144701218314/?ref=share

Listen to the interview with Giovanni here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/10315548/the-legality-of-bill-96-c-32-no-to-quebe