Officially bilingual? Canadian Party of Quebec leader vows to protect language, minority rights

The leader of the Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ) is promising fundamental changes to Quebec’s government society in the midst of the provincial election campaign.

In an interview with CTV News, Colin Standish discussed official bilingualism, immigration, minority rights, the economy, and his party’s role in the election.

Watch the video above for the full interview with CTV News

And while Standish was not invited to the first French-language debate Thursday evening, he aims to replace the incumbent premier François Legault.

This will be the first provincial election for the CaPQ, a party that was only founded in June. But Standish has prepared a number of key policies for this race:

ENGLISH AS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

The CaPQ has ambitious — and for some, controversial — goals for anglophones, which include turning Quebec into an officially bilingual province.

In fact, Standish believes that English is already a defacto official language of Quebec.

"French has never been the only official language in Quebec. It's one of those myths that's been repeated so much," he said. "English has been an official language of the province of Quebec, provincially, since 1763."

The CaPQ’s platform would ensure that all services are available in English and French on equal grounds. This includes English-language schooling for all Quebecers, regardless of their mother tongue and origin.

"Every law, every regulation, the courts, the National Assembly; they have to function equally in English as they do in French," he said. "So, the idea that French is the only official language is simply untrue."

MINORITY RIGHTS AND IMMIGRATION

Standish’s party pledged "unconditional, unequivocal opposition" to the new French-language law, commonly known as Bill 96, and the secularism law, Bill 21, passed by Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party.

He says respecting the Canadian constitution as well as human rights and freedoms is part of the CaPQ’s core principles.

"I’d love to debate on minority rights, on language rights, on turning back the tide of Quebec nationalism that has distorted so much of our public debate in the last 60 years," he said.

As for immigration, Standish did not specify how many newcomers he wants to welcome into Quebec annually — a number that varies widely in the election platforms from the five major political parties.

"It should be set by experts who would regularly consult with the economy. I don't think it should be made by politicians, it should be a rational decision. [...] And to increase numbers is where we would stand on that subject," he said, seeming to agree, in part, with a campaign promise from Québec solidaire.

Standish added that he wouldn’t seek more leverage for provincial control over immigration since he believes such decisions should be shared with the federal government.

TACKLING INFLATION

As Quebecers deal with the highest inflation rate since 1991, Standish plans to cut the Quebec sales tax (QST) from 9.975 to 8 per cent

"[This would] give people immediate relief. When they go to the stores, pump gas at the pump or buy anything, you really feel it day to day," he said.

To offset the revenue lost from tax cuts, the CaPQ would create two new tax brackets for high-income Quebecers.

Standish also claimed that Bill 96, Bill 21, and Bill 40 (the education law which replaced school boards with service centres) act as "artificial impediments" to economic growth.

If elected, the CaPQ leader would also abolish Revenu Québec, which he claimed would save Quebecers $500 million, as the rest of Canada uses the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) system.

ELECTION STRATEGY

While the CAQ stays dominant in the polls and the Liberals struggle to keep their anglophone base, the CaPQ could split the English votes even more, which could help Legault to secure another majority government.

Standish, however, said he believes otherwise.

"If I thought I was helping François Legault, there's no way I would be doing what I'm doing," he said.

The CaPQ leader aims to dismantle the Liberals’ "monopoly" over the non-francophone vote, claiming that the party "betrayed and abandoned minorities" after their handling of Bills 21 and 96.

"We need fierce opposition to what Mr. Legault is doing to this country, to this province, to basic human rights, and to language rights. The Canadian Party will stand up and fight tooth and nail for everyone's rights, day after day for the next four years, if we're elected."

As of now, only three per cent of Montreal and Laval residents would vote for the CaPQ, according to Léger’s poll from Sept. 10.

The party has a total of 18 candidates running for office on Oct. 3, according to its website, with Standish hoping to win a seat in the Westmount–Saint-Louis riding.