EMSB chair says CAQ motion on Bill 96 criticism is an 'attack' on Quebec anglophones
The Legault government and the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) are attacking each other in the lead-up to public hearings on Bill 96, a sprawling reform of Bill 101.
On Wednesday, the National Assembly passed a motion condemning the "contemptuous remarks about the Quebec nation" made by the EMSB on Sept. 1.
The school board's chair went to the press to say that he felt the motion was an "attack" on Quebec's anglophones.
Saying he was "deeply disappointed" in the government -- and in the Liberal Party which supported the motion -- Joe Ortona suggested it was unfair to criticize the Sept. 1 resolution since it has since been amended.
"This is another example of an attack on us, the school board, and the English-speaking community," Ortona said at a virtual news conference on Wednesday.
Last week, Premier François Legault called the EMSB a "radical" group.
The school board accused the bill of "unilaterally rewriting the constitution to recognize Quebec as a nation where the only language is French."
"Quebec is not a "nation,'" the Sept. 1 resolution said. "The Quebec intelligentsia deliberately uses the word 'nation' to evoke a reality that exists only in its own mirage. The only accurate word to use to define the reality of Quebec is 'province.'"
On Sept. 14, the EMSB sent out a press release saying that it had deleted the language about the nation from the resolution, but that it still opposed Bill 96.
Among other things, they argue that the use of the notwithstanding clause is not necessary to protect and promote the French language in Quebec.
The motion targeting the EMSB, adopted unanimously in the National Assembly on Wednesday, also denounces "any form of 'Quebec bashing' or Quebecophobia."
"Criticizing a bill in itself is not 'Quebec bashing,'" Ortona said. "The law is not unanimous throughout Quebec ... and we must be able ... to debate."
This does not make the dissenting minority anti-Quebecers, Francophobes or participants in the 'Quebec bashing', he insisted.
The study of Bill 96 begins next week.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 15, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.