Sources have disclosed that the federal government is planning to use an upcoming reform of the Official Languages Act to draft new rules on the use of French in federally regulated companies in Quebec.
According to reports, the measures would form Ottawa’s response to growing pressure from the Quebec government to protect the rights of French-speaking workers in federally regulated sectors such as banking and telecommunications.
It should be noted that as it stands, companies in these sectors do not fall under the federal Official Languages Act or Quebec’s Charter of the French Language.
Radio-Canada reported that Federal sources insisted that Ottawa has no plans to cede any new powers to the Quebec government over these companies.
According to the sources, the federal government is moving toward enshrining new protections for French-speaking workers in federally regulated companies as part of a long-awaited reform of the Official Languages Act.
A federal official said “We won’t let the provincial government do this for us”.
It was gathered that Liberal officials and caucus sources noted that while there is a need for a new approach to language issues in Ottawa, no one wants to provide broader powers over language to the Quebec government or change the overall approach to minority language rights.
Multiple reports have it that sources said plans to reform the Official Languages Act are circulating in the upper echelons of government but have yet to be adopted by cabinet. Formal proposals are expected to be released to the public in early 2021 in the form of a white paper that would form the basis for subsequent legal changes.
It would be recalled that in a speech September, the Trudeau government described defending the rights of francophones outside Quebec, and of Quebec’s anglophone minority, as a “priority.” It also stated for the first time that the federal government has a responsibility to “protect and promote” French across Canada — including in Quebec.
It should be noted that the key issue for the Quebec government is the status of the roughly 135,000 employees working in federally regulated sectors in the province. It is also imperative to state that while many companies in these industries voluntarily adhere to the province’s rules on the use of French in the workplace, they’re not under any legal obligation to do so.
Recall that in recent weeks, Quebec’s National Assembly and six former premiers have called on these federally regulated companies to abide by the same requirements imposed by the Charter of the French Language — more widely known as Bill 101 — on provincially regulated companies. Among other things, the charter calls on companies with more than 50 employees to obtain a certificate stating that French is their normal language of business.
Federal officials noted that in addition to changing the Official Languages Act, the government also intends to take action on immigration policy and regulation of large internet companies to fulfil its promise to protect the French language in all provinces.
Analysts are of the view that any attempt by the Quebec government to impose its language law in areas of federal jurisdiction likely would lead to a legal battle with the federal government.
