MONTREAL, Jan. 18, 2024 /CNW/ – The Task Force on Linguistic Policy has applied for an interlocutory injunction and judicial review of Bill 96, the changes to the Charter of the French Language. The injunction has been filed with Superior Court by Michael Bergman. Me. Bergman is the lead counsel for the Task Force’s challenge to Bill 96, filed in May of 2023.
The injunction states: “The issues raised in Bill 96 are all serious and justiciable as they constitute encroachment on constitutional and human rights with respect to rights to life, liberty, and security; equality; healthcare services; government services; education; employment; as well as freedoms of expression and mobility, and freedom from undue state interference.”
Andrew Caddell, the President of the Task Force, is the lead plaintiff of the injunction and the challenge before the courts. He outlines the damages the law has wrought to Quebec society: “When the law was passed in June of 2022, there were egregious impacts on English-speaking Quebecers. But since June 1 of 2023, they have become even more intrusive. Our injunction contains evidence from 30 people who have been the victims of outright discrimination, and we know they are the tip of the iceberg. For this reason, we have to stop the application of the law before things become worse.”
The injunction outlines the serious implications of what it calls the Legault government’s zealotry in implementing the letter and spirit of the law, adding “In doing so, the Government of Québec has created and promoted a social climate where the use of the English language is restricted and disdained and is considered to be a threat to the survival of the French language and identity in Québec.”
It also anticipates the Legault government’s plans to introduce 50 new measures to promote French, which will more than likely involve greater hardship for English-speaking Quebecers. The injunction notes the promise of these measures “have the effect of creating fear and insecurity amongst Québec anglophones bringing them into disrepute, as a thorn, however unfounded, to the identity, culture and language of the Francophone majority.”
The Task Force on Linguistic Policy was formed in June of 2021. It boasts thousands of subscribers and followers on social media and depends on donations from the public to finance its efforts. Learn more at www.TheTaskForce.ca.
SOURCE The Task Force on Linguistic Policy
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