The Canadian Party of Quebec Eastern Townships Regional Association held its first public event in Bondville on Sunday to inform Townshippers on Bill 96 and its potential impacts on the daily lives of Quebecers as certain elements of the bill are expected to  take effect on June 1, 2023. Guest speakers Colin Standish, leader for the (CaPQ), and Myrtis Fossey, former CaPQ candidate and clinical psychologist, spoke with attendees about Quebec’s new language law and the impact it will have on health services. 

The CaPQ is a political party that was formed during last year’s Quebec election and it is a strong opponent of Bill 96, which it deems unconstitutional and an infringement on human rights.

As of June 1, Bill 96, which makes a number of changes to the Charter of the French Language, will require Quebecers to have an English-language eligibility certificate in order to receive services from government institutions in English, including hospitals. These certificates will only be provided to individuals that received their primary and secondary education in English in Canada. 

Additionally, newcomers to Quebec will only be able to communicate and receive services from the government in another language besides French for a period of six months. Following that time-period, communication and services are to be provided solely in French.

“Bill 96 has unfortunately been law for almost a year now so we wanted to remind people of what’s really going on with Bill 96 as it’s implemented. There are new aspects of the law that are being implemented on June 1 and we wanted to try to engage the public with what’s really going on,” noted Standish, a constitutional lawyer, language rights advocate, and Townshipper. 

“There is a  constitutional amendment, an amendment that is very unconstitutional in its form and its substance, that says Quebec is a nation solely defined by  French as the official language of Quebec and Quebecers themselves are a nation,” Standish explained. “So it’s a nation two-fold over and that’s inserted in our 1867 constitution. This is a radical perspective from mine, and many other scholars perspectives, to insert that unilaterally into the Canadian Constitution, and that a province does not have the right to do so.”

Standish continued to explain that the Canadian Constitution is a “binary document” with jurisdiction allocated to the provinces and the federal government. 

“To have some sort of declared nation inserted into it, what that means and what that’s going to do over time is sort of a question mark. Certainly, it changes the framework of our country in a very fundamental way,” he added. “(…) A variety of very important pieces of legislation that determine our private and public rights have been changed by Bill 96 that say basically that French predominance is more important than your other rights and all of those rights are interpreted through a framework of French predominance. What that means overtime will remain to be seen, but it really does distort the entirety of our legal system.”

Standish described the situation as a “holistic change to the way we live our lives,” despite the provincial government’s reassurance that this will not be the case.

“The verbal assurances by certain Ministers or the Premier don’t hold legal weight. However, the bill they drafted does and it certainly contradicts the statements that have been made. Certainly our ability to access all government services, not just healthcare, but all of them in the language of our choice will be impacted,” he noted. 

People will have to prove that they are “English-education eligible” to receive government services in English, according to Standish. 

“If one of your parents went to English school in Canada, you have the right to English schooling in Quebec. (…) That criteria that is used for English educational obtainment in this province at the primary and secondary level will now determine your access to all services by the Quebec government, including healthcare services,” he highlighted. “That means that as of June 1 we’re going to have to prove somehow that we have a certificate of eligibility or that we went to English-language schooling. They haven’t actually let us know what they’re going to use to determine it.”

Standish noted that only a parent can request these eligibility certificates, presenting a “barrier and impediment” for English-speaking Quebecer’s to access government services in their primary language spoken. 

“If you happened to go to school in English public education before the year 1977, you didn’t have an eligibility certificate. It wasn’t required until the late 1970s and early 80s as Bill 101 came into force. If your parents passed away, which might be the case for people of a certain age, (…) you really don’t have an option to get an eligibility certificate,” he explained. “There is no way in Bill 101. I believe it’s article 72 that says a parent can order an eligibility certificate, etc. There’s not actually a written criteria for you to request it for yourself.”

Standish noted that the federal government has the power to completely “nullify” Bill 96 before June 1. He encourages Townshippers to reach out to their Members of the National Assembly and Members of Parliament to express their concerns. 

“It was really great to see people from all around the Townships out in the Town of Brome Lake this past weekend. They were very engaged and people really want to know what they can do. There are a variety of ways to take action. (…) Talk to your Members of the National Assembly, send them an email, send them a letter, pick up the phone. These people are there and they are staffed to listen to what we have to say,” said Standish. “You can also make a donation or volunteer to organizations. Obviously there is the CaPQ, our donations are matched 2.5:1, and there’s the Task Force on Linguistic Policy. (…) They’re doing great work and they have a court challenge. They just raised their first $25,000 for it and they’ve started drafting it.”

Click on the link for more information on Bill 96. 

For more information on the CaPQ or to donate visit its website.

For more information on the Task Force on Linguistic Policy or to donate visit its website. 

To hear more from Standish on the future potential impacts of Bill 96 listen to the full interview below: