Charter of the French Language - Wikipedia 29/12/2024, 11:36

Charter of the French Language

The Charter of the French Language (French: Charte de la langue française, pronounced
[ʃaʁt də la lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛz]), also known as Bill 101 (French: Loi 101, pronounced [lwa sɑ̃ œ̃ ]), is a
law in the Canadian province of Quebec defining French, the language of the majority of the
population, as the official language of the provincial government. It is the central piece of
legislation that forms Quebec's language policy and one of the three principle statutes upon
which the cohesion of Quebec's society is based, along with the Quebec Charter of Human
Rights and Freedoms and the Civil Code of Quebec. The charter also protects the Indigenous
languages in Quebec.[1]

First introduced by Camille Laurin, the Minister of Cultural Development under the first Parti
Québécois government of Premier René Lévesque, it was passed by the National Assembly and
received royal assent on August 26, 1977. The charter's provisions expanded upon the 1974
Official Language Act (Bill 22), which was enacted during the tenure of Premier Robert
Bourassa's Liberal government to make French the official language of Quebec. Prior to 1974,
Quebec had no official language[2] and was subject only to the requirements on the use of
English and French contained in article 133 of the British North America Act, 1867.[3] The
charter has been amended more than six times since 1977, each of which met with controversy
in Quebec.[4] Most recently, in 2022, the charter was amended (also covered in this article) by
the adoption of the Act respecting French, the Official and Common Language of
Quebec, commonly known as Bill 96.[5]

Objective
The preamble of the Charter states that the National Assembly resolves "to make French the
language of Government and the Law, as well as the normal and everyday language of work,
instruction, communication, commerce and business". It also states that the National Assembly
shall pursue this objective "in a spirit of fairness and open-mindedness" and recognizes "the
right of the First Nations and the Inuit in Quebec, the first inhabitants of this land, to preserve
and develop their original language and culture".[6]

Titles
The Charter consists of six titles and two schedules:

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Title I includes nine chapters pertaining to the status of the French language, which:
declare French the sole official language (chapter I),
define the fundamental language rights of persons (chapter II), and
define the status of French in the parliament and the courts (chapter III), the civil
administration (chapter IV), the semipublic agencies (chapter V), labour relations
(chapter VI), commerce and business (chapter VII) and language of instruction (chapter
VIII).[7]
Title II includes five chapters pertaining to linguistic officialization, toponymy and the
francization of the civil service and businesses.[8]
Title III establishes the Office québécois de la langue française (Quebec Office of the
French language) and defines its mission, powers and organization.[9]
Title IV establishes the Conseil supérieur de la langue française (Superior Council of the
French language).[10]
Title V and VI define penal provisions and sanctions and transitional and miscellaneous
provisions.[11][12]

Status of the French language

In order to achieve the goal of making French the "normal and everyday language of work,
instruction, communication, commerce and business" and ensure the respect of francophone
Quebecers' language rights, the Charter contains a number of key provisions and various
regulations.

Official language
In the first article of the Charter, French is declared the official language of Quebec.[13]

The French language was previously declared the sole official language of Quebec with the
adoption of the Official Language Act in 1974. Quebec is constitutionally obliged nonetheless to
provide English services in the courts and the National Assembly of Quebec (see below).

Fundamental language rights

The fundamental French-language rights in Quebec are:

1. The right to have the civil administration, the health services and social services, the public
utility enterprises, the professional corporations, the associations of employees and all
enterprises doing business in Quebec communicate with the public in French. (article 2)
2. The right to speak French in deliberative assemblies. (article 3)
3. The right of workers to carry on their activities in French. (article 4)
4. The right of consumers to be informed and served in French. (article 5)
5. The right of persons eligible for instruction in Quebec to receive that instruction in French.
(article 6)

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Parliament and courts

French is the declared language of the legislature and courts in Quebec. Section 133 of the
Constitution Act, 1867, still in effect, nonetheless requires that bills be printed, published,
passed and assented to in French and English in the Parliament of Canada and the Legislature
of Quebec.[14]

French or English may be used by any person before the courts of Quebec. Parties may request
the translation in French or English of the judgments by the courts or decisions rendered by any
"body discharging quasi-judicial functions".

The French text prevails over the English one, in case of any discrepancy, for any regulation to
which section 133 of the Constitution Act of 1867 does not apply.[15]

The first version of the Charter provided that laws be enacted only in French. In 1979, the
related provisions (articles 7 through 13) were rendered inoperative by a ruling of the Supreme
Court of Canada in Attorney General of Quebec v. Blaikie; however, Quebec responded by re-
enacting in French and in English the Charter of the French Language, leaving intact articles 7
through 13.[16]

In 1993, the Charter's provisions related to the language of the legislature and courts were made
compliant with the Supreme Court's ruling.

Civil administration
The government departments and agencies are designated by their French name alone, and all
administrative documents are drafted and published in that official language. All
communications by the administration with other governments and legal persons, between
departments and internally inside departments, are conducted in the official language.

A person must have knowledge of the official language appropriate to the office for which he or
she is applying.

A non-official language may be used on signs and posters of the administration, but only for
health or public safety reasons.[17]

Semi-public agencies
Public utilities and professional orders must provide service in the official language and use it
for their internal and general communications. Professional orders may issue permits only to
persons who have a knowledge of the official language appropriate to the practice of their
profession.[18]

Labour relations

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Nineteen articles of the Charter provide for the general goal of making French the language of
labour relations and ensuring each worker's right to work in French.

Employers are to draw up written communications to all or part of their staff, including after
termination of the employment relationship, in French. They are also required to publish offers
of employment, transfer or promotion in the official language. An employment contract must be
provided in French first to a candidate if it falls under the definition of contracts of adhesion
(i.e., a contract whose main provisions are not negotiable). It is only after the parties have
examined the contract's French version that they may choose to be bound by its version in
another language. Freely negotiated employment contracts may be drawn up in another
language than French at the parties' express wish.

In particular, an employer cannot dismiss, lay off, demote, transfer or take reprisals against, or
impose any other penalty on, a staff member on the sole account of he or she being exclusively
French-speaking or of possessing insufficient knowledge of a non-official language, or because
that member demanded the respect of his or her right to work in French. As a job requirement,
knowledge or a specific level of knowledge of a language other than French is prohibited, unless
the nature of the duties require it.

The Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (Employment

Standards, Equity, Health and Safety Commission) arbitrates in case of disagreement over the
necessity of knowing a non-official language to perform a given work. The burden of the proof is
on the employer, who must satiety each the following criteria in order to meet the requirement
of having taken all reasonable means to avoid requiring knowledge or a specific level of
knowledge of a language other than the official language:

1. The employer assessed the actual language needs associated with the duties to be
performed;
2. The employer made sure that the language knowledge already required from other staff
members was insufficient for the performance of those duties; and
3. The employer restricted as much as possible the number of positions involving duties
whose performance requires knowledge or a specific level of knowledge of a language other
than the official language.[19]

Commerce and business

Product labels, their instructions, manuals, warranty certificates as well as restaurant menus
and wine lists must be in French. Other languages may be used, provided French's prominence
is at least equivalent.[20][21][22]

Catalogues, brochures, folders, commercial directories and other such publications must be in
French. All software (for example, video games and operating systems) must be available in
French unless no such version exists.[23]

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Signs and posters must be in French, and if they include any additional language, the French
must be markedly predominant. A recognized trademark within the meaning of the
Trademarks Act may appear exclusively in a language other than French unless a French
version has been registered.[24] Where a trademark is displayed outside a building exclusively in
a language other than French, a sufficient presence of French must also be ensured.[24]

A number of exceptions to the general rules for commercial products, signs and advertising:

Products destined exclusively for export;

Educational products for the teaching of a language other than French;
Cultural and ideological companies, groups, signs, and literature (including non-French
broadcasters and newspapers); and
Companies (usually multinational corporations) that sign an agreement with the OQLF
permitting an exemption from the francization requirement. (However, the rules regarding
the right of a worker to work in French still apply.)[25]
In some parts of Quebec, like Montreal, bilingual signs with French and English text of equal
sizes can be seen (such as in historically English educational institutions, and in federally
regulated businesses), although French is sometimes predominant on these signs. For example,
French is located to the left of other languages so that it is read before the non-French text when
reading left to right. (Formerly, the size and colour of text in other languages were tightly
regulated as well.)

Application to indigenous languages

Though article 97 clarifies that while "the Indian reserves are not subject to this Act", the local
indigenous languages are still subject to it off-reserve. For example, indigenous languages are
not exempted from the application of article 58, whereby "public signs, advertising and posters
must be in French", but may be in the local indigenous language "provided that French is
markedly predominant".

Though article 58 does allow the provincial government to "determine by regulation the places,
cases, conditions or circumstances ... where French need not be predominant or where such
signs, posters and advertising may be in another language only", it imposes no obligation on the
government to exempt indigenous languages.

Language of instruction
The language of instruction from kindergarten to secondary school is French. (The instruction
language is the language in which the classes are taught. Learning of English as a second
language is mandatory for all children attending French school beginning in elementary school.)

Articles 87, 88 and 89 provide for the use of Indigenous languages and Inuktitut as the
language of instruction. The rate of introduction of French and English as languages of
instruction is left to school committees and parents' committees.[26]

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At the request of parents, the following may receive instruction in English:

1. a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and received elementary instruction in
English anywhere in Canada, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the
elementary instruction he or she received in Canada;
2. a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and who has received or is receiving
elementary or secondary instruction in English in Canada, and the brothers and sisters of
that child, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary or
secondary instruction received by the child in Canada.
The original 1977 Charter provided for the English instruction not on the basis of a parent
having received his instruction in English in Canada, but in Quebec only. This came to be
amended following the adoption of the Constitution Act 1982, which defined the educational
right of French and English minorities in all provinces under section 23 of the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms.

Office québécois de la langue française

The Office québécois de la langue française (Quebec Office of the French Language) (OQLF),
informally known by some Anglophones as the "language police",[27] is the commission
responsible for administering policies pertaining to linguistic officialization, toponymy and
francization of civil administration and businesses. It also has the mission of "monitoring the
linguistic situation in Quebec", promoting the official language and conducting research. In
2016–17, the budget of the OQLF was CA$24.1 million.[28] The OQLF has seen, from time to
time, criticism over some of its decisions, such as the 2013 controversy dubbed "pastagate", in
which it cited an Italian restaurant was cited for having on its menu Italian words like "pasta",
"antipasti" and "calamari" rather than using their French equivalents. The OQLF has also
objected to use of the term "grilled cheese sandwich", insisting that they be called "sandwich de
fromage fondu", which literally translates to "melted cheese sandwich".[27] Likewise, the OQLF
objects to "on/off" switches and to the sale of "steaks", insisting that they be called "bifteck",
despite the fact that "steak" is the more commonly used term by Francophones."[27]

Conseil supérieur de la langue française

The Conseil supérieur de la langue française (Superior Council of the French language) is an
advisory body whose mission is "to advise the Minister responsible for the application of the
Charter of the French Language on any question relative to the French language in
Quebec".[29] It works in close collaboration with equivalent bodies in France, Belgium and
Switzerland.

Legal dispute
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Language in Canada is defined federally by the Official Languages Act since 1969 and is part of
the Constitution of Canada since 1982. Parts of the Charter have been amended in response to
rulings by Quebec Courts which were upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Before 1982, the only part of the Charter of the French Language that could be challenged
constitutionally was that of the language of legislation and the courts. It was challenged in 1979
by Peter Blaikie, Roland Durand and Yoine Goldstein (Attorney General of Quebec v. Blaikie).

In 1982, the patriation of the Canadian Constitution occurred as the British Parliament passed
the Canada Act 1982. This act enacted the Constitution Act, 1982 for Canada (including the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms); section 23 introduced the notion of "minority-
language education rights". This opened another door to a constitutional dispute of the Charter.

Alliance Quebec, an anglophone rights lobby group, was founded in May 1982 and operated
until 2005. It was mainly through this civil association that a number of lawyers have
challenged the constitutionality of Quebec's territorial language policy.

A judge temporarily suspended two articles of Bill 96. The articles mandated companies to pay
for the translation into French of legal documentation. Quebec Superior Court Justice Chantal
Corriveau decided that requiring companies to pay for certified translation might delay some
anglophone bodies from the right to access justice.[30]

Timeline of amendments

1988 and 1993 amendments (Bills 178 and 86)

Bill 178 was passed in direct response to the legal case of Ford v. Quebec (Attorney General)
and invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield the articles on business signage from judicial
review. Because the law could not be challenged in Canadian courts due the invocation of the
notwithstanding clause, a group of English-rights activists instead filled a claim at the United
Nations Human Rights Committee in 1989: in Ballantyne v Canada, the Quebec language law
was found to have violated the rights of the complainants. In response, the Quebec Liberals
introduced Bill 86 which made the Charter compliant with the Canadian court rulings without
the need for the override provisions.

Proposed 2013 amendments (Bill 14)

In 2013 Diane De Courcy, the Minister responsible for the Charter of the French Language
under Premier Pauline Marois of the Parti Québécois introduced Bill 14, An Act to Amend the
Charter of the French Language, the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and Other
Legislative Provisions. The bill would have made changes to both the Charter of the French
Language and the Charter of Rights of Quebec.

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Marois eventually withdrew the legislation in the face of criticism from Anglophone and
Allophone Quebecers and the Quebec Liberal Party, and shifted focus to the Charter of Quebec
Values.[31][32] However, most of the details formed basis of the 2021 amendments.

2021 amendments (Bill 96)

On August 26, 2020, Quebec's Minister of Justice and French Language, Simon Jolin-Barrette,
announced plans for 2021 that would strengthen the Charter.[33]

On May 12, 2021, the CAQ government of François Legault announced Bill 96, which
strengthened the charter.[34][35][36][37][38][39][40]

Bill 96 invoked the notwithstanding clause, allowing the law to temporarily override sections 2
and 7–15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The invocation expires five years
after its use, or earlier if legislation is passed to repeal it sooner. At the point it expires, it may
be renewed again by the Quebec National Assembly.

Some of the proposed measures were.[34]

Adding clauses to the Canadian Constitution, saying Quebec is a nation and that its official
and common language is French.
Forcing all commercial signage that includes non-French trademarks to include a
"predominant" amount of French on all signs.
Removing a municipality's bilingual status if census data shows that English is the first
language for less than 50 per cent of its population, unless the municipality decides to
maintain its status by passing a resolution to keep it.
Creating the French Language Ministry and the position of French-Language
Commissioner, as well as bolstering the role of the OQLF.
Giving access to French training for those who are not obligated by law to go to school in
French.
Applying the charter to businesses with 25−49 employees and federal workplaces.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, said he supported aspects of the
bill, but felt it did not go far enough, saying, "Unfortunately, the CAQ gave us the absolute
minimum." A few days later PQ announced their plan if elected, which would include [41][42]

cutting off funding to companies that do not respect their obligations when it comes to using
French
subjecting CEGEPs to the charter, imposing a uniform French exam on English-speaking
CEGEP students
lowering immigration thresholds.
According to a poll by Léger published on May 22, among Francophones the approval rate for
the various proposals was fluctuating between 72% and 95%.[43]

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Protests against the bill included "several thousand" people in Montreal [44][45] and Indigenous
youth.[46]

Bill 96 was adopted on May 24, 2022, with 78 MNAs in favour (from the CAQ and Québec
solidaire) and 29 against (from the Liberal Party and Parti Québécois).[47] It received royal
assent from Lieutenant Governor J. Michel Doyon on June 1, and subsequently became law.[48]

Criticism
The Charter was criticised by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who called Bourassa's Bill 22 as a
"slap in the face", in his memoirs, as he saw it as contrary to the federal government's initiative
to mandate bilingualism. Except for New Brunswick, most other provinces that accepted
Trudeau's bilingualism initiative never fully implemented it. The most notable case was Ontario,
where Premier Bill Davis did not grant full official status to the French language, despite the
fact that the infrastructure was already in place.[49][50]

Political opposition to the Charter and earlier such language legislation has had limited success,
given the support of the laws by the Parti Québécois and Quebec Liberal Party. Legislative
initiatives prior to Bill 101 such as An Act to promote the French language in Quebec (Bill 63)
were often perceived by francophones as insufficient. After Bourassa passed the Official
Language Act, opponents turned their support to the Union Nationale in the 1976 election, but
despite that short resurgence of support, the party collapsed in the subsequent election. Court
challenges have been more successful: Many of the key provisions of the initial language
legislation having been rewritten to comply with rulings. Despite compliance since 1993 of the
Charter with the Canadian Constitution, opposition to the Charter and the government body
enforcing it has continued.

According to Statistics Canada, up to 244,000 English-speaking people have emigrated from

Quebec to other provinces since the 1970s; those in Quebec whose sole native language was
English dropped from 789,000 in 1971 to 575,555 in 2006 when they accounted for 7.6% of the
population. Altogether, in 2006, 744,430 (10%) used mostly English as their home language,
and 918,955 (12.2%) comprised the Official Language Minority, having English as their First
Official language spoken.[51] When many anglophones relocated outside of Quebec after the
introduction of the Charter in the 1970s, several English-language schools in Montreal closed
their doors. These school closures may also have been brought about by restrictions on who can
attend English schools, which has been another ongoing drain on the English school system. Of
the Anglophones between 25 and 44 years old who left the province between 1981 and 1986,
15,000 individuals, which was half of this group, had university degrees. The province's
unemployment rate rose from 8.7 per cent in 1976 to 10.4 per cent in 1977, remaining above 10
per cent for 19 of the last 23 years of the 20th century.[52] The language barrier has also been

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regarded as a "soft cap" for population growth; for instance from 2013 to 2014 while Montreal
gained around 43,000 immigrants from other parts of the world it lost 10,000 residents to
other provinces.[53][54]

Many companies, most notably Sun Life, Royal Bank and Bank of Montreal (which even
considered removing "Montreal" from its name), moved their major operations to Toronto as a
consequence of the adoption of the Charter.[55] This concerted fleeing of business and
subsequent loss of thousands of jobs is believed to have hindered Quebec's economy and
allowed Toronto to overtake Montreal as Canada's business centre. On the other hand,
Toronto's advantage had been growing since the 1930s and had become apparent in the 1950s,
and is also related to the greater importance of the United States, rather than Britain, in
Canada's economy. This action may have simply accelerated, rather than allowed, this change of
status between the two cities.

Levying fines of up to CA$7,000 per offence, Charter enforcers were widely labelled in the
English media as the "language police" or "tongue troopers". While the Office québécois de la
langue française (OQLF) provides several warnings before resorting to legal sanctions,
allegations that it has abused its powers has led to charges of racism and harassment.[56] The
OQLF took action against stores retailing imported kosher goods that did not meet its labelling
requirements, an action perceived in the Jewish community as an unfair targeting that
coincided with a high-profile case against the well-known Schwartz's delicatessen, the owner of
which was subjected to failed legal action by the OQLF due to the apostrophe in his sign, which
remains.[57] In the mid-1980s, another delicatessen Dunn's got in trouble for having the English
word, "Smoked Meat" on the sign out front. The manager at the time stated that Parti Québécois
MNA Gérald Godin himself ordered the sandwich by its name.[58] Dunn's also fought a ruling to
change the name of "Smoked Meat" to "Boeuf Mariné" in order to conform to Quebec Language
Law.[59] They won the ruling by appeal by proving that if they didn't advertise "Smoked Meat"
they would confuse and anger customers.[60] Due to the work of Myer Dunn, under the new
ruling, enacted in 1987, Smoked meat became a word in both Official languages of Canada.[61]
In 2002, there were reported cases of harassment of allophone merchants who refused to speak
French.[62]

The 2004 annual report of the OQLF was criticized by a columnist of The Gazette who alleged
that there was a "totalitarian mindset in the bureaucracy".[63] The columnist complained of
sections of the report which described the continued prevalence of languages other than French
in two-thirds of Montreal's households as an "alarming" trend that would present a formidable
challenge to francophones in Montreal.[64] In reality, the report judged alarming the fact that
adoption of English as a home language by allophones grew faster than the adoption of French
as a home language.[65]

The use of the notwithstanding clause in the 1990s to circumvent the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms with regards to signage also resulted in reactions from other Canadian
provinces; the syndrome de Sault Ste. Marie was a series of symbolic but divisive resolutions by

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some municipalities outside Quebec declaring their towns unilingually English in protest of
what they saw as an infringement on the rights embodied in the charter. It is often believed that
the controversy over the Charter was what influenced the Meech Lake Accord and
Charlottetown Accord to fail. The Supreme Court in their ruling regarding the signs case which
led to the use of the notwithstanding clause, ruled that in fact any sign law was a violation of the
freedom of expression right.

Aside from the civil rights infringement, the Charter has faced legal challenges because the
restricted education opportunities have hindered not only unilingual but bilingual anglophones'
employment. Although the Charter made French the official language of government and civil
administration, the same cannot be said of the private sector. Despite over 40 years of the
Charter, it has never been applied as rigorously as intended because to do so would violate civil
liberties. English is still often made a requirement by employers in Montreal, including many
French-Canadian owned ones, and, to a lesser extent, in Gatineau and Quebec City, with the
workforce in Montreal remaining largely bilingual.

On November 14, 1988, the political and human rights watchdog organization Freedom House
published "The Doctrine of 'Preponderance of Blood' in South Africa, the Soviet Union and
Quebec"[66] in its journal Exchange. Introduced by Zbigniew Brzezinski (an anglophone who
had once lived in Montreal) former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's National Security adviser, the
essay compared the language of instruction provisions of the charter with South African
apartheid statutes and jurisprudence. However, the Supreme Court of Canada disagreed with
the discrimination-based-on-ancestry argument under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights
and Freedoms in Gosselin (Tutor of) v. Quebec (Attorney General), believing that it conflicted
with section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The criteria used by Quebec
to determine if parents are entitled to have their children instructed in English are the same as
those found under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[67]

Influence abroad
The 2001 report of the Estates-General on the Situation and Future of the French Language in
Quebec identified the negative perception of Quebec's language policy in the rest of Canada and
the United States as a problem to solve. It stated:

In Canada and abroad, the linguistic policy of Quebec is too often negatively
perceived. The business community and the media, in particular, know it very little.
For their part, the Americans remain opposed to legislation that appears to them to
reduce individual liberties and limit the use of English. For them, language and
culture are two separate elements, they do not see how the protection of Quebec
culture also includes the protection of the French language, even though 35
American States have adopted declarations proclaiming English the official
language. Thus, must be developed the perception that Quebec culture is a part of

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the North-American heritage and that it is necessary to preserve it. It is also

important to correct the erroneous perceptions regarding the Quebec language
policy and its application.[68]

Recommendation 147 of the report suggested the creation of an institutional television and
radio campaign targeting both Quebec citizens and certain groups abroad to inform on the state
of French in North America and the language policy of Quebec. Recommendation 148 suggested
the creation of a watchdog to correct errors made "both in good faith and bad faith" in the
media.[69]

As part of the effort to improve how its policies are perceived, the OQLF conducted an inquiry
on the influence of Quebec's language policy abroad in countries where the fragility of certain
languages prompted the use of legislative measures. It requested and published the opinions of
various experts from Spain, Israel, the United States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Wales,
Australia and Flanders in a special issue of the OQLF's Revue d'aménagement linguistique
celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Charter in 2002.

Jonas Žilinskas, a lecturer at University of Šiauliai in Lithuania described the state of the
Lithuanian language after a prolonged Russian rule over his country:

One proclaimed a policy of bilingualism which was expressed only by the obligation
made to Lithuanians to learn Russian while Russians did not bother to learn
Lithuanian. If the written Lithuanian language were more or less protected by
writers through newspapers and publishers, the spoken Lithuanian language was
degraded. Often, in the institutions, it was only a language of oral communication,
the greatest part of technical documentation and correspondence being written in
Russian.[70]

This "false bilingualism" was followed by the Sąjūdis movement, during which the government
of Lithuania declared their language the sole official language and began working on a language
policy modelled on the experience of Quebec.[70]

Mart Rannut, vice-dean of research at the Department of Philology of the University of Tallinn,
in Estonia, recalled the influence of Quebec's expertise in the field of linguistic human rights
and language planning which helped countries that have gained independence from the Soviet
Union and concluded that "Bill 101 indirectly touched one-sixth of the planet".[71]

Ina Druviete, at the time dean of the department of sociolinguistics at the Linguistic Institute of
Latvia, noted the similarities between the language policies in all three Baltic states (which have
large, if often officially unrecognized, Russophone minorities) and that of Quebec. All policies
aiming "to prevent language shifts and to modify the hierarchy of languages in the public life.

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The principal sectors of intervention were the language used in the government agencies and
the administration, in meetings and office spaces in particular, in corporate names, information
and education. The principle of territorial linguistic rights was instituted."[72]

In Wales, the language policy of Quebec had a great influence, but a similar policy could not be
implemented as it was in the Baltic States, because Welsh speakers do not form a majority in
this constituent country of the United Kingdom. According to Colin H. Williams, professor and
researcher at the Welsh Department of Cardiff University particular lessons followed in Wales
which stem from the experience of Quebec are:

The acquisition of detailed census data and explanatory facts aiming at clarifying the public
discussion
The linguistic legislation (official language status, right to speak Welsh before the court,
Welsh Language Board responsible to administer the law)
The iconography of the linguistic landscape
The progress in the teaching of the Welsh language[73]
In Israel, while the "penetration of English in the sociolinguistic organization of the country" is
perceived, according to Bernard Spolsky, professor emeritus of English at the Bar-Ilan
University, as a threat to Hebrew, the language policy has thus far only influenced linguists and
some politicians. He writes:

Periodically, Israeli politicians present bills to proclaim Hebrew the sole official
language of the country. Presently, Hebrew shares this title with Arabic only,
because a measure was taken soon after the foundation of the State, in 1948, to
modify the British policy, which imposed three languages, and gave up English. The
last attempt at giving a judicial protection to Hebrew goes back to December 2000:
two bills were then rejected.[74]

In Catalonia, according to Miquel Reniu i Tresserras, president of the Comissió de Lectorats and
former chief executive officer of the Catalan language policy, Quebec's legislation constituted a
"reference model" and the OQLF and the equivalent body in Catalonia were in close
collaboration.[75]

See also
Language demographics of Quebec
Canada portal
Language policy
Minority language Languages portal
French language
English-speaking Quebecers
Children of Bill 101

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Charter of the French Language - Wikipedia 29/12/2024, 11:36

Official bilingualism in Canada

Toubon Law
Ford v. Quebec
Devine v. Quebec

Notes
1. "Les langues autochthones du Québec" (http://www.cslf.gouv.qc.ca/bibliotheque-virtuelle/pu
blication-html/?tx_iggcpplus_pi4%5bfile%5d=publications/pubb133/b133ch3.html)
(consulted April 2021)
2. Environmental Scan: Access to Justice in Both Official Languages: Chapter 1: History of
Language Rights in Canada (https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/franc/enviro/1.html),
Government of Canada, 2022-08-25
3. "British North America Act, 1867", in Wikisource. Retrieved April 24, 2008
4. "Debate on PQ language bill to begin" (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/deb
ate-on-pq-language-bill-to-begin/article9582744/). The Globe and Mail. Toronto. March 11,
2013.
5. Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec (https://www
.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-parlementaires/projets-loi/projet-loi-96-42-1.html?appelant=MC),
Assemblée Nationale du Québec, June 1, 2022
6. The Charter of the French Language — Preamble (https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/d
ocument/cs/c-11). Retrieved December 11, 2022
7. Charter of the French Language, Title I (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.ht
ml#t1status)
8. Charter of the French Language,Title II (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.ht
ml#t2olf)
9. Charter of the French Language,Title III (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.ht
ml#t3cplf)
10. Charter of the French Language,Title IV (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.ht
ml#t4clf)
11. Charter of the French Language, Title V (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.ht
ml#t5penal)
12. Charter of the French Language, Title IV (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.ht
ml)
13. Charter of the French Language, Title I – Chapter I (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/chart
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sh.republiquelibre.org/The_problem_of_bilingualism_in_Lituania_today))
71. Mart Rannut. "Le Québec et l'Estonie (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/o
uvrages/amenagement_hs/ral01_charte_rannut_vf.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20160303174424/http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/ouvrages/amenage
ment_hs/ral01_charte_rannut_vf.pdf) March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", in Revue
d'aménagement linguistique, 2002 (translation (http://english.republiquelibre.org/Quebec_an
d_Estonia))
72. Ina Druviete. "La Charte de la langue française et les lois linguistiques dans les Pays baltes
(http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/ouvrages/amenagement_hs/ral01_chart
e_druviete_vf.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233717/http://www.oqlf.g
ouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/ouvrages/amenagement_hs/ral01_charte_druviete_vf.pdf
) March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", in Revue d'aménagement linguistique, 2002
(translation (http://english.republiquelibre.org/The_Charter_of_the_French_language_in_the
_Baltic_States))
73. Colin H. Williams. "L'influence de l'aménagement linguistique au Québec au-delà de ses
frontières : Le Pays de Galles (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/ouvrages
/amenagement_hs/ral01_charte_williams_vf.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201
60303175758/http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/ouvrages/amenagement_
hs/ral01_charte_williams_vf.pdf) March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", in Revue
d'aménagement linguistique, 2002 (translation (http://english.republiquelibre.org/The_influen
ce_of_Quebec%27s_language_planning_policy_abroad:_Wales))
74. Bernard Spolsky. "L’aménagement linguistique au Québec : regard d'un Israélien (http://ww
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74. Bernard Spolsky. "L’aménagement linguistique au Québec : regard d'un Israélien (http://ww
w.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/ouvrages/amenagement_hs/ral01_charte_spolsk
y_vf.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053801/http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca
/ressources/bibliotheque/ouvrages/amenagement_hs/ral01_charte_spolsky_vf.pdf) March 4,
2016, at the Wayback Machine", in Revue d'aménagement linguistique, 2002 (translation (ht
tp://english.republiquelibre.org/Quebec%27s_language_planning_policy:_Israeli_perspectiv
e))
75. Miquel Reniu i Tresserras. "Le Québec et la Catalogne (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressourc
es/bibliotheque/ouvrages/amenagement_hs/ral01_charte_reniu_vf.pdf) Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20080528173402/http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/bibliotheque/ouv
rages/amenagement_hs/ral01_charte_reniu_vf.pdf) May 28, 2008, at the Wayback
Machine", in Revue d'aménagement linguistique, 2002 (translation (http://english.republique
libre.org/Quebec_and_Catalonia))

References

Law and regulations

Charter of the French Language (http://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/showdoc/cs/C-11) -

Updated to 1 March 2018
29 regulations adopted under the Charter of the French language (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20041212024732/http://www.canlii.org/qc/laws/sta/c-11/index.html#enabled), Éditeur
officiel du Québec, (online through the Canadian Legal Information Institute, updated on
March 14, 2008)
The Constitutional Act, 1867 (https://web.archive.org/web/20140810164041/http://www.canli
i.org/en/ca/const/const1867.html), (U.K.), 30 & 31 Victoria, c. 3. (online through the
Canadian Legal Information Institute, updated December 10, 2002)
The Constitutional Act, 1982 (https://web.archive.org/web/20080508001850/http://www.canli
i.org/en/ca/const/const1982.html), being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.), 1982,
c. 11 (online through the Canadian Legal Information Institute, updated December 10, 2002)

Reports

L'Office québécois de la langue française. (1997–2007) All reports of the OQLF and CSL
from 1997 to 2007 (https://web.archive.org/web/20040516065716/http://www.olf.gouv.qc.ca/
office/rapports/) (in French)
Commission d'enquête sur la situation de la langue française et sur les droits linguistiques
au Québec (1973). The Position of the French language in Québec: Report of the
Commission of Inquiry on the Position of the French Language and on Language Rights in
Québec, Québec: Editeur officiel du Québec

Memoranda

Chevrier, Marc (February 1997). Laws and languages in Québec: the principles and means
of Québec's language policy (http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/pgq/2003/2652118/2652118.pdf)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20080528173350/http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/pgq/200
3/2652118/2652118.pdf) May 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Québec: Ministère des
relations internationales, 31 pages

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Charter of the French Language - Wikipedia 29/12/2024, 11:36

Clark, Ramsey (June 14, 1993) A legal opinion on international law, language and the future
of French-speaking Canada (http://english.republiquelibre.org/A_legal_opinion_on_internati
onal_law%2C_language_and_the_future_of_French-speaking_Canada), a legal opinion for
the Mouvement Québec Français, New York, 24 p.
Baum, Gregory (1991). "Ethical Reflections on Bill 101 (http://english.republiquelibre.org/Eth
ical_Reflections_on_Bill_101)", in The Church in Quebec, p. 134–157 ISBN 2-89088-487-2
Kondaks, Tony. (November 14, 1988) “The Doctrine of ‘Preponderance of Blood’ in South
Africa, the Soviet Union and Quebec” (https://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg6n6657_8gfjsb8),
Freedom House, Exchange

Works

John R. Edwards ed., (1998). Language in Canada, Cambridge University Press, 504 pages
(online excerpt (https://books.google.com/books?id=rgnJRCjuyKcC))
Richard Y. Bourhis ed., (1984). Conflict and language planning in Quebec, Clevedon, Avon,
England: Multilingual Matters, 304 p. (online excerpt (https://books.google.com/books?id=d
UdlsNgDuBgC))

External links
Website of the Office québécois de la langue française (http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/c
harter/index.html) (English section)
Educaloi – La Loi vos droits – Citizens – Charter of the French Language (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20070703112313/http://www.educaloi.qc.ca/en/loi/citizens/108/)

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