“We will not pay a cent to people who do not respect our laws,” warned Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), according to a report by the Newspaper tells the story of a worker who was asked to send in his CV in English for a job in Bécancour.
“The Parti Québécois affirms that a company must fully respect the requirements of the Charter of the French Language in order to receive subsidies or benefits from the State of Quebec. This is not encouraged; it is mandatory,” he stressed.
On Monday, Le Journal told the story of a mechanic who was shocked to see that the Ultium CAM battery factory rejected his CV because it was written in French, additionally requested a new version “in English” and even asked for the interview in a language other than French.
More resources at OQLF
According to PQ, the law should not allow English to be required when hiring in such a case.
“The government must give authorization to the Office québécois de la langue française [OQLF] the necessary means to enforce its own law,” continued Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“It is not just about making laws, but also about taking measures to avoid such a situation,” he added.
The PLQ and QS also denounce it
For Madwa-Nika Cadet, liberal spokesperson for regional development and the French language, the situation is unacceptable.
“It goes without saying that the entire recruitment process at the Ultium CAM battery factory can take place in French. This mechanic was right when he denounced the situation,” lamented the Bourassa-Sauvé deputy this morning on the social network X.
The same applies to Ruba Ghazal, spokesperson for the second opposition group on French language issues.
“Will Jean-François Roberge’s long-awaited plan prevent such a situation from happening again? At Québec Solidaire we have always advocated that support to companies must be conditional and compliance with the French Language Charter is one of the minimum conditions,” she concluded.
Can you share information about this story?
Write to us or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.