English-language rights organization to host hearings on Quebec's proposed French-language charter
An English-rights advocacy group is set to host its own public hearings on the Legault government’s controversial Bill 96 this week, with testimony from lawyers, academics, former legislators and members of the Indigenous community.
The Quebec Community Groups Network, a not-for-profit organization, will host the four-day virtual hearing on Zoom in advance of the National Assembly hearings on the proposed legislation later this month.
The opening day on Thursday, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m., will hear from QCGN President Marlene Jennings, as well as former MNA and former MP Clifford Lincoln, and Anna Farrow of the English Speaking Catholic Council.
Virtual hearings will continue from Sept. 13-15 and will include other presenters, including human rights lawyer Julius Grey, family lawyer Anne-France Goldwater, the Dean of the McGill University Faculty of Law Robert Leckey, the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
The QCGN has been vehemently opposed to the new bill and said its hearings are being held “to send a clear message to the government that Bill 96 requires considerable revisions, and more thought needs to be given to safeguarding the fundamental rights of all Quebecers.”
Among other things, the sweeping legislation would amend the Canadian constitution to affirm Quebec as a nation and that French would be the official language. It would also limit access to English-speaking CEGEPs, extend French-language requirements to businesses with 25 or more employees, and grant more power to the Office québécois de la langue française.
Members of the public can view the hearings by registering on the QCGN website.
More than 50 individuals and organizations are set to debate the French-language charter in marathon public consultations at the Nationa Assembly from Sept. 21 to Oct. 7. The consultations will identify the strengths and flaws of the proposed legislation, which was introduced in May by the minister responsible for the file, Simon Jolin-Barrette
While the province won’t start its own discussions for a couple of weeks, the debate over nationhood heated up already this week, with Premier François Legault calling the English Montreal School Board a “radical group” over a document that quoted a university professor who stated “Quebec is not a nation.”
The board’s chair, Joe Ortona, lost his candidacy in the municipal Ensemble Montreal party in the fallout over the document, which called for Ottawa to challenge Bill 96 before the Supreme Court.
The pushback, especially to the words around nationhood, was swift, though Ortona agreed with the critics on Tuesday that that quote should have been omitted.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.