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Changes to Quebec's francophone law are creating confusion for English-speaking residents trying to access services, according to an interim report from Canada's Official Languages Commissioner.
Raymond Théberge said some health-care providers are still wondering when they will be able to offer services in English under Bill 14, also known as Bill 96. He said similar challenges are being felt in Quebec's education and business sectors.
Théberge, speaking in Dieppe, North Carolina, where he presented his findings on the 2023-2028 action plan, stressed that Ottawa must ensure that federal spending cuts do not affect the language rights of Canadians. The plan includes $4.1 billion in funding for official language programs.
In its fall budget, the federal Liberal government outlined a plan to cut program and administrative costs by about $60 billion over five years and eliminate 40,000 public service jobs by 2029. Theberge said past budget cuts have already impacted language programs, including teaching, research and service delivery.
“The commissioner painted in black and white what we see on the ground every day,” said Eva Ludwig, president of Talking. Propaganda. Life in Quebec (TALQ), an advocacy group for the province's English-speaking community, in a press release.
“Federal programs that function reasonably well in other parts of Canada are stopped, blocked or black boxed when they reach English-speaking communities in Quebec.”
TALQ expressed concern about the situation in Quebec. Bill M-30which he said further blocks or delays federal funding for English-speaking community organizations.
The bill means that any organization that receives more than 50 per cent of its funding from the province is subject to provincial jurisdiction and cannot sign federal agreements without the approval of Quebec's minister responsible for relations with Canada.
This bill “could undermine the vitality of the community. Nearly two years after its announcement, several key programs have not been launched, the commissioner's report said.
TALQ is calling on Ottawa to take concrete steps to improve services for English-speaking Quebecers before the current action plan ends, and to ensure equity in the next plan.
Ultimately, Canada's Official Languages Commissioner said he wants to ensure that language rights are not harmed by federal spending cuts.
