Six Anglophones, supported by former Liberal MP Marlene Jennings, filed another lawsuit Wednesday morning against the law that amended Bill 101 and made substantial changes to the French language charter.
Posted at 11:57 am.
Law 14 (formerly Bill 96) was enacted in May 2022. As a result, several regulations and laws were amended. Changes in education – additional compulsory French courses in English-language CEGEPs, a cap on enrollment in these institutions – as well as higher French requirements for businesses and in relation to signage, among other things, have angered many English speakers.
In a news conference outside the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday, Andrew Caddell, one of the six people suing the government, said he was aware it would be “David vs. Goliath.”
“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to challenge this law that shouldn’t have been passed,” he said.
“You can promote a language without eliminating the voices of others,” he continued.
For his part, Me Michael Bergmann believes that this law is much more than “a question of French language, bilingualism or identity”. In his view, this is about protecting individual rights and freedoms.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Me Michael Bergman and Andrew Caddell
Marlene Jennings, also present at the press conference, pointed out, among other things, that she thinks it is important “to speak to him in English when she sees a doctor, even if she speaks French very well,” she admits to make sure I understood everything and that the doctor understood it correctly.
At the microphone, Andrew Caddell also emphasized the need for healthcare in French.
But Law 14 does not prohibit doctors from speaking to their patients in English, Mr Caddell was put to the test.
He responded that it was nonetheless one of the concerns of the English-speaking community, adding that while this health care issue had been raised in English by him and Ms Jennings at the microphone, the challenge had not addressed it.
While making it clear he doesn’t mind certain aspects of the new law, such as the additional French courses required in English-language CEGEPs, Mr Caddell says he opposes being treated as a “second-class citizen” and doing so Difficulty accessing government services in English. He doesn’t understand.
This is at least the fifth challenge to Bill 14 as attorney Julius Gray and indigenous peoples have already filed their own lawsuits.