Friday, March 29, 2024

Bill 96: Canadian French speakers demand support for Quebec

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Maria Gill
Maria Gill
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Quebec – The future of the French in Canada depends on the ability of Quebec and Francophone communities across the country to unite their voices and show solidarity among themselves, according to the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities (FCFA).

The union was one of the last speakers to appear before a parliamentary committee, Thursday at the end of the day, to comment on Bill 96, which proposes a major reform of Bill 101 or the French language charter. Consultations ended on Thursday.

French-speaking Canadians came to assure parliamentarians that they wanted the spirit of solidarity shown by Legault’s government towards them in the preamble to Bill 96 into strong gestures and concrete actions aimed at the cooperation of all. Moments between francophones from different provinces.

In its preamble, Bill 96, sponsored by Minister Simon Jolin Barrett, it clearly states the intent of the Legault government to play a leadership role in promoting the use of the French language throughout Canada. “Quebec, the only French-speaking country in North America, shares a long history with the Francophone and Acadian communities of Canada. This raises a special responsibility for Quebec, which intends to play a leading role in the Francophone of the country,” we can read in the first article of the revised version of the Charter French language, which includes more than 200.

This statement has created expectations among the French-speaking people who live in a minority situation in the country.

In its summary, the FCFA concludes from this preamble that Legault’s government “implicitly recognizes that the struggle to pass on French to future generations is a shared responsibility of Quebec and the communities.”

According to her analysis, Quebec “sees challenges regarding the future of French from a Canadian, and even a North American, perspective.”

However, the union would like the government to specify in its bill how it intends to act to ensure this Francophone-Canadian solidarity.

In accordance with its wishes, Quebec should better define its role “in cooperation with the Francophone and Acadian communities themselves”. In addition, we would like Quebec to make use of all the forums available to it (federal meetings at the provincial level, the Federation Council, the Council of Ministers of Education, etc.) to promote the use of the French language and enhance its prestige. Country.

“Systematic” support

It is thus a matter of engaging the entire State of Quebec, “horizontally and between ministries, in a renewed relationship with the communities”, in a “systematic and systematic” manner.

“Condition for success: that the Ministries of the Administration of Quebec whose mandates logically align with the various aspects of life in French elsewhere in the country – education, culture, economy, health, justice, immigration and diversity – include from the outset policies and future programs specific measures that reflect the government’s expressed intention of rapprochement,” he writes. FCFA.

It was the first time in years that the FCFA, which represents 2.7 million French-speaking Canadians who live outside Quebec, has appeared before a parliamentary committee in Quebec.

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