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
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.