Montreal backs Pierrefonds-Roxboro’s bid to remain bilingual

MONTREAL – The City of Montreal is supporting its sole borough with bilingual status in its battle to remain that way, it announced Monday.

In a letter to city councillor Marvin Rotrand who was spearheading the campaign, the president of the city’s main decision making body confirmed that the city backs Pierrefonds-Roxboro’s opposition to the proposed law Bill 14 that could strip municipalities of their bilingual status if their percentage of residents who list English as a mother tongue falls below 50 per cent.

Executive committee president Laurent Blanchard explained that Montreal is a member of the Union of Quebec Municipalities, and that on Feb. 15 the union adopted and tabled a motion in which it demanded “the maintenance of the status quo for municipalities and boroughs that have bilingual status.”

What’s more, Blanchard wrote the union “asks that all decisions concerning the recognition of a municipal organization cannot be taken without a resolution having been adopted by the municipality or borough concerned, in the respect of municipal autonomy.”

“This is why I can tell you that the City of Montreal, as member of the Union of Quebec Municipalities, is in favour of the position taken by (Pierrefonds-Roxboro).”

In January, the borough council of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, population 68,600, unanimously passed a resolution opposing the aspects of Bill 14 that would strip it of its bilingual status and its right to use both official languages on signs and services offered on its website and in written communications with its citizens.

“The population of Pierrefonds-Roxboro has been used to living together and we never had any problems with communications,” said borough mayor Monique Worth.

Under Bill 14, the Parti Québécois government’s proposed law to strengthen the French Charter, the provincial government could revoke a municipality’s bilingual status if the number of residents who list English as their mother tongue falls below 50 per cent of the population. At present, only 31 per cent of Pierrefonds-Roxboro citizens list English as their first language. The rest have French (28 per cent) or another language (35 per cent).

In its resolution, Pierrefonds-Roxboro states it wishes to retain its bilingual status irrespective of fluctuations in census numbers because it is “fundamental to the character of the borough and as a testament of the historical presence of both the English-and French-speaking communities in the borough.

The borough “vigorously opposes” any legislation that allows a municipality or a borough’s bilingual status to be removed, the resolution reads.

Independent city councillor Marvin Rotrand sent a letter in early February to the executive committee suggesting it support the borough publicly by having the city council adopt a declaration of support. When he didn’t receive a response, he said he would be introducing an emergency motion at Monday’s city council meeting to ask the city support Pierrefonds-Roxboro in its fight.