Quebec’s language law reform is continuing to draw criticism and legal challenges from the province’s English community as more of its provisions come into effect Thursday, exactly a year after it received royal assent.
But Eva Ludvig, president of the Quebec Community Groups Network, said the changes taking effect Thursday – and others to follow – will make life harder for English-speaking Quebeckers. “We are now seeing the impact of a bad bill, a draconian bill,” she said in an interview. “We see what this really means and the impact it will have on the day-to-day lives of business people, of everyday workers, of students.
“We won’t leave anyone in danger,” Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s Minister of the French Language, told reporters in Quebec City, Wednesday, adding that 911 services will still be available in English. Also starting Thursday, government websites with English-language content began displaying banners informing people that the content is intended only for people eligible to receive government communications in English.
François Vincent, Quebec vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the requirement will mean more paperwork for small business owners at a time when they’re already facing a labour shortage. As long as a French copy has been presented, people can then decide to request the contract in another language.