Denis Coderre wants to “scrap” law 96, other aspiring PLQ leaders want to amend it

Photo: Paul Chiasson Archives The Canadian Press Denis Coderre in November 2021

Thomas Laberge – The Canadian Press in Quebec City

Published at 4:34 p.m.

• Quebec City

The issue of the French language caught the attention of the last day of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) convention in Lévis. While Denis Coderre wants to get rid of Bill 96 completely, other aspiring leaders want to amend it.

“We should scrap Bill 96,” declared the former mayor of Montreal on Sunday.

The reform of the Charter of the French Language – commonly known as “Bill 96” – was adopted by the National Assembly in May 2022. It subjects SMEs with 25 to 49 employees and federally regulated businesses to the Charter in addition to imposing a freeze on enrolment in English-language CEGEPs, in particular.

Less categorical than his opponent, former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez wants it to be “amended”, in particular to remove restrictions in CEGEPs.

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“My basic philosophy is to always defend French – day, night and morning – in our institutions. We will respect the rights guaranteed to the English-speaking minority, we will always do that too, but we are in a French environment, in a province where French is the official language,” he said.

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“Major pitfalls for entrepreneurs”

Charles Milliard, another leadership candidate, says there are “interesting points” in the law 96, “but that there are major pitfalls for entrepreneurs.”

“Talk to entrepreneurs. They will tell you – if they are not too embarrassed to tell you – that it is sometimes complicated to demonstrate that the position must be bilingual. People change jobs quickly. There is a lot of movement in organizations, so it becomes difficult. The translation of all contracts in all fields. We have to question the efficiency and relevance of all that,” he explained.

The member for Marguerite-Bourgeoys, Frédéric Beauchemin, also wants to amend it with regard to English CEGEPs.

“As a parent, what I would have wanted for my children is to send them to the CEGEP of their choice so that they could go to the university of their choice. And if they want to go to an English-speaking university, because they want to have an international career or in Montreal with international clients, speaking English is a good deal for them,” he said.

Tax lawyer Marc Bélanger will take a position on the issue later.

PLQ activists met for a convention from Friday to Sunday in Lévis, on the South Shore of Quebec City. It was an opportunity for aspiring leaders to network and try to gain new support.

During the weekend, activists voted for a future Liberal government to propose, among other things, a constitution for Quebec and establish a teachers' order.