(Montreal) As Quebec and Ottawa put their pawns on hold to reform the Official Languages Act, Commissioner Raymond Teaberg is happy that this issue is finally on the agenda and hopes that a real law will be passed “as soon as possible”.
Minister Melanie Jolly, in charge of the file at the federal level, is due to present her white paper on this issue soon. A reform of the 1969 law will eventually follow.
Last Friday, the Minister Responsible for Canadian Relations, Sonia Leible, clarified Quebec’s position, wishing to realize that of the two official languages in Canada, “French is the only minority in the whole of Canada. Canada.”
As such, French is “the only language that needs to be protected and promoted throughout the country, including in Quebec,” added Minister Leble.
She also insisted on the fact that this protection would not come at the expense of the rights of the English-speaking community in Quebec.
In response to Minister Lebel’s exit, the Commissioner for Official Languages, Raymond Tebberg, said that he hopes to “reach a legislative solution that conforms to the constitutional foundations on which our country is based.”
Along with Secretary Jolie’s white paper, it appears that updating the law is “necessary” for her, since the original law is 51 years old.
French: “unique” mode
The Commissioner for Official Languages also said “from the view that the situation of the French in the country is truly unique” and that it is therefore necessary to “protect the language and culture of the more than 8 million French-speaking people in Canada at sea. More than 300 million English speakers in North America”.
However, he does not forget the English-speaking community of Quebec for all of it. “I particularly understand the concerns of the English-speaking minority in Quebec; that is why I consider it so important, in the context of reflections on modernizing the law, that legislators come up with solutions that will make it possible to preserve the linguistic rights of the English-speaking community in Quebec As well as the rights of societies. French-speaking outside of Quebec, ”
Secretary Melanie Jolie also responded to Minister Leble’s exit last Friday. Our official language is at the core of our heritage. In September, we pledged to strengthen the law on official languages, bearing in mind the special reality of the French language. The federal government will do its part and will continue to operate in its jurisdiction. ”
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