The PQ government will issue a controversial edict to make it a condition that all federally-regulated companies must comply with Bill 101 in order to do business with the province.
These include banks, transportation companies, postal services, pipelines, telecommunications and radio broadcasting, grain handling and others, a sector that employs 171,000 employees in total, according to 2011 statistics.
Those companies can still get Quebec government contracts if they apply the rules of Bill 101 onto their workplace, the PQ leader announced.
“It's important because the part of our economy which is on the responsibility of the federal organization is very important in Quebec so it is important to apply the law 101 or the law 14 at these institutions, said Marois. “We are a people and it is important to continue to live on this continent in French.”
The opposition Liberals disagree with the PQ edict.
“Whenever they see the word 'federal' they break out in a rash or something,” said Liberal MNA Geoff Kelley. “It's solution looking for a problem.”
The CAQ, which has attempted to collaborate with the PQ on upcoming language law tweaks, expressed disappointment Thursday with the new twist.
"That's a little bit insulting because we spent eight weeks and we did not even talk about it and we never received groups that were from federal jurisdictions," said CAQ MNA Nathalie Roy.
