Quebec’s Bill 101 should not be referenced in Bill C-13, as its inclusion in the federal bill could be seen as an endorsement of the notwithstanding clause, says Senator Tony Loffreda. The QCGN, which has voiced its opposition to this reference, says its representatives have been invited to discuss their concerns about Bill C-13 on Monday before the Senate’s Committee on Official Languages.
Prior to the federal government tabling Bill C-32, an Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English and the Strengthening of the Official Languages Act, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages studied the original proposed reform document.
Although they were unable to meet in the senate, the committee managed to hold two meetings to study the divisive document, working with federal minister responsible for official languages, Mélanie Joly, and the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN).
And while the QCGN acknowledged the importance of protecting French language minority communities in Canada, they also voiced concerns about the effects the reform document would have on the English language minority population in Quebec.
The QCGN is funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.
