MONTREAL—Despite threats from the opposition, the Parti Quebecois is standing firm on one of the more contentious sections of Bill 14: Ending the right for francophone military families to send their children to English schools.

The right was granted by Rene Levesque to military families who could be posted to different bases across Canada and around the world at any moment.

Diane De Courcy said Thursday that children from francophone military families have gotten a free pass for too long. The visibly upset language minister claimed that many of the 800 families currently falling under the exemption are doing so to gain permanent entry to an English education.

“I can objectively tell you that they are bridging schools,” said De Courcy. “A way for families to get around Bill 101's restrictions on who can go to English school.”

Over the past three years, the language minister says nearly half these kids who fell under the exemption have applied to convert their exemptions into permanent access. Students who get that right can transfer it to their children

The Central Quebec School Board says it would lose 20 per cent of its students if the military exemptions are removed, adding that it's hard to believe a military family would use military service as a loophole.

“The young man that wants to become a soldier, the young woman who wants to become a soldier, does not do it to go around Bill 101,” said a grinning Jean Robert, spokesman for the CQSB.

Under the current system, military children have a strong support system.

“When a kid goes into class one morning, his father's been shipped to Afghanistan he has 15, 20 classmates that know exactly what he's going through,” Robert continued.

The opposition Liberals say they won't support Bill 14 and the second opposition Coalition Avenir Quebec says it might, but only if certain measures like those affecting military families are removed.

The CAQ says it had the impression it could work out a deal with the PQ.

“I think they want to create conflict with Ottawa. A Canadian flag conflict,” said Eric Caire of the CAQ.

The CAQ MNA said he found it hard to believe the PQ would risk the passage of Bill 14 over a measure that affects just 800 children. He’s hoping for another PQ mood swing.