Bill to determine admission to English schools introduction delayed

QUEBEC – A procedure debate Wednesday delayed the introduction of Bill 103, the Charest government’s response to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling last year that Quebec’s rules to limit access to English schools were too restrictive. Language Minister Christine St-Pierre managed to read the introductory notes to the bill, but before the routine adoption on first reading, the Parti Québécois objected that the government “in contempt” of the assembly.

PQ house leader Stéphane Bédard explained that two weeks ago the Liberal majority, and all other members of the assembly present, joined the PQ in unanimously adopting a resolution affirming that language rights cannot be bought.

Bédard said Bill 103 would allow parents, whose children are not eligible for public English schooling in Quebec, to buy that right by first sending their children to private English schools.

Bill 103, amending the Charter of the French language, was presented Wednesday in the Quebec National Assembly.

It will establish a regulatory framework to determine admissibility to English schools for children not normally admissible.

And it will make illegal so-called “bridging schools,” offering a backdoor into the public English school system.

As well, Bill 103 will require CEGEPs, municipalities and the public sector to establish language policies, dealing with working in French and the quality of French.

The new bill also provides for higher fines for violations of the language charter.

Further details of Bill 103 will be presented at a news conference later in the day.

The Parti Québécois immediately objected that Bill 103 goes against a unanimous motion adopted by the National Assembly with Liberal support, stating that the assembly was opposed to allowing parents whose children are not eligible for English schooling to buy that right.

The PQ charged the government was in "contempt" of the assembly.

The Liberal government said the motion was not binding, and the Speaker suspended the session to deliberate how to deal with the PQ objection.