The implementation of Bill 96, Quebec’s reform of its French language law, has been a thorn in the side of the province’s English-speaking community.
One area highly affected is education.
That’s why the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) organized an evening of talks, where different community members discussed the legislation’s impact.
“It’s almost a wake-up call,” said Michael Cohen, a spokesperson for the EMSB.
In the past 10 months that the reform has been applied, it has created chaos and confusion for those who have to apply it and those targeted by it.
People who want to enroll in our schools, who are here temporarily, there’s now such a backlog with that, rules are still not clear in terms who is eligible and who is not,” explained Joe Ortona, chair of the ESMB.
Businesses such as Repare Therapeutics, a biotech company, are also feeling their growth stomped.
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Whether it’s recruiting foreign talent or securing foreign income, the new rules aren’t clear-cut.
“Our investors are principally U.S.-based and they want to understand what it means, what it is to have their business here in Quebec — can they hold a board meeting in English? Can they communicate with us in English? We have a pretty good idea of how it’s going to be applied but it hasn’t been clarified yet and we want to see that happen,” said LLoyd Segal, president and CEO of Repare Therapeutics.
The consensus was not only that the application of Bill 96 is unclear but in its current form, it’s also setting a dangerous precedent.
“It’s very concerning what the future of Quebec will look like,” said Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi.
“When you go back 30 years, 40 years, I speak to my parents and the threat was separation back then but now that it’s very clear that separation is off the table, we are faced with a new reality of a separate country within a country.”
The EMSB is contesting Bill 96 in court.
While they wait to debate the bill’s shortcomings in court, organizers believe it’s important to keep the conversation going.
“This could be a number of years before this is all settled,” Ortona said. “So it’s important for the community, as I said, to remain aware and engaged about these issues throughout this process and that things don’t get forgotten and that we just don’t take this as the system and just take it for what it is and wind up accepting it, because I don’t think we should.”
Ortona says the ultimate goal is to define a path forwards to an inclusive Quebec.
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