Bill 14, which would have tightened Quebec’s restrictive language laws, is officially dead, kind of, at least for the time being, until and unless the province’s voters give the ruling Parti Québécois a majority government. Limits on who can attend English schools will not be extended to the junior college (CEGEP) level, and thousands of small businesses with fewer than 50 employees will not be forced to operate in French, as larger businesses that did not flee the province years ago are required to do.
It’s not a step in the right direction, but at least it’s not a step in the wrong direction, and for that, I have to congratulate the members of the current government for a job not done. Sure, they did their darndest to remove even more of our freedoms, but they had the courage to back down when they saw that they had absolutely no chance of success. They fought for the illiberal reforms they believed in, which you have to respect, and they folded under pressure, which is just plain excellent.
Of course, this is a major setback for everyone who wants to limit the options of French-speaking Quebecers by preventing them from learning English in an increasingly globalized world. Yes, with access to cable TV and that newfangled Internet thingy, and now the abandonment of this legislation in the face of certain defeat, there may be no keeping francophones down. Even playing up fears about the threat to French culture no longer seems to have the effect it once did.
With any luck, Premier Pauline Marois’s government will also fail to garner enough support from the opposition parties for its Charter of Blatant Religious Discrimination to pass, and we can all celebrate another one of its non-achievements down the road.
Of course, this is a major setback for everyone who wants to limit the options of French-speaking Quebecers by preventing them from learning English in an increasingly globalized world. Yes, with access to cable TV and that newfangled Internet thingy, and now the abandonment of this legislation in the face of certain defeat, there may be no keeping francophones down. Even playing up fears about the threat to French culture no longer seems to have the effect it once did.
With any luck, Premier Pauline Marois’s government will also fail to garner enough support from the opposition parties for its Charter of Blatant Religious Discrimination to pass, and we can all celebrate another one of its non-achievements down the road.