The many faces of Bill 96
The provisions contained in Bill 96’s proposed legislation are wide-ranging and have many consequences for all Quebecers according to a document released by the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN). It states that the bill is “an unprecedented attempt to override the fundamental freedoms, equality, and legal rights of Quebecers. These foundational rights are safeguarded by international legal instruments like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
“Bill 96 will strip Quebecers of these rights in the application of the Charter of the French Language. The Bill will also hurt businesses; limit access to public services, education, and employment; constrain expression in a variety of ways; and damage the impartial operation of our legal system.”
In its current form, the Bill will have a major impact on education, especially on the number of French and English courses at the CEGEP level. The legislation was drafted without prior consultation with anyone in the CEGEP network.
Dawson Director General’s priority
Throughout the lengthy and intense consultations on Bill 96 with CAQ government officials over the past several months, Dawson has continuously made the case to prioritize student success.
Before Bill 96 passes, which comes as early as next week, provisions could change again. The ground on which the Bill stands has shifted several times. And, the implementation of the Bill will be complicated. The rules governing college education (RREC) must be changed, and with it, every program grid. Dawson alone has 98 grids.
In an interview on April 27 on RDI’s morning program D’abord l’info, when asked about possible job losses as a result of the Bill 96 provisions, the Director General said: “This is not good news for teachers. However, we will try to find [solutions], working with the Ministry, because Bill 96 is only the start. Afterwards, how it is applied will be dictated by the Ministry of Higher Education.
“We will have to have discussions with them to see how to best support our students in English, but also our francophone students, who will no longer have English courses. How to achieve this, we will try to add courses in English to improve their English language skills and also to maintain certain teaching positions.”
The interview can be viewed in its entirety here.
Bill 96 protest leaves from Dawson on May 14
On Saturday, May 14, the Dawson community and all Quebecers who are concerned about Bill 96 are invited by the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) to join a march leaving from Dawson at 3040 Sherbrooke Street West at 10:30 a.m. and ending at the office of Premier François Legault across the street from the Roddick Gates at McGill University.
On Thursday, May 5, the Dawson Student Union and several other CEGEP student organizations are planning a walk-out from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The QCGN held a press conference on April 26, at which representatives of Dawson College and other institutions and organizations listened to several experts and community leaders who spoke about the various negative impacts of the Bill as it stands.
Bill 96 impact far-reaching
The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph reported: “The implications of Bill 96 for education was one of the grievances aired at the QCGN news conference … Others include the impact on health and social services, on recruiting professionals from abroad, and the powers of search and seizure for investigating compliance.
“Civil rights lawyer Julius Grey said the powers of search and seizure to enforce language laws would be more than those granted police to investigate murder.
“It seems to me,” Grey said, “that in one fell swoop – two, perhaps including Bill 21 (on state secularism) – the government is trying to undo the protections that hundreds of years of jurisprudence have given citizens against discrimination, against state violence, against abuse of power; I think the entire constitutional notwithstanding clause and rule of law part of this bill has no place.”
“(QCGN President Marlene) Jennings said, “We urge the government to set aside this proposed legislation. We remain convinced there are more effective and inclusive ways to protect and promote the French language than those outlined in Bill 96.”
“She then said, “Given the seriousness of … our preoccupations, the QCGN and our partner organizations are planning a public demonstration for May 14 here in Montreal. We urge you and all your family and friends to join us in this very public expression of our dissatisfaction with Bill 96.”
