Beaconsfield reaffirms its bilingual status in the wake of Quebec’s new language bill
Beaconsfield City Council confirmed its official bilingual status in a meeting Monday night, “as a pledge for multiculturalism, inclusion, tolerance and comprehension,” according to a press release issued Tuesday.
The Quebec government tabled Bill 96 last May, which aimed to reform the province's already-existing language law.
If adopted, the reform would restrict accessibility to English CGEPs and further enforce the use of French in the workplace, among other changes.
Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle says by reaffirming the city’s bilingual status, he aims to highlight “the spirit of [the] community.”
“The English and French language have both forged our society and continue to unite our community in a social environment that is inclusive, tolerant and generous, open and multicultural,” he said.
Bill 96 proposes removing the bilingual status of any municipality that is less than 50 per cent English speaking. If a municipality wants to maintain its bilingual status, it must adopt a resolution confirming it meets the criteria.
More than 55 per cent of Beaconsfield’s residents list English as their native language, according to data from Statistics Canada, so the city is not at risk of losing its status.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.