Adrian Wyld The Canadian Press The federal government has devoted more than two billion dollars since 1995 to ensure the vitality of English in Quebec, revealed Monday the spokesperson for the Bloc Québécois on official languages, Mario Beaulieu.
The federal government has devoted more than two billion dollars since 1995 to ensure the vitality of English in Quebec, revealed Monday the spokesperson for the Bloc Québécois on official languages, Mario Beaulieu.
These funds, paid under the Official Languages Act, were used to develop the network of English-speaking establishments, but also to “support English-speaking pressure groups” in a context of “decline of French,” he explained.
Last April, Quebec learned with surprise that the federal plan for official languages provided $137.5 million to finance services to Quebec's English-speaking communities. Of this sum, 40% will be used “for the francization of English speakers,” indicated the member of the standing committee on official languages.
They should rather, according to him, make it possible to “make French the common language”, while “English-speaking institutions are already over-funded by the Quebec government”.
“That doesn’t make sense. It is French that is threatened, and the federal government seems to want to continue to finance English in Quebec,” added Mr. Beaulieu, demanding that Quebec become “master of its language policy”.
Further details will follow.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.