The Parti Quebecois. - Page 17

On April 20 2013 23:35 Abraxas514 wrote:
Some updates:

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/postscript-pq-covers-ears-to-widespread-opposition-to-bill-14-1.1245142

Here is what's happening in Quebec. The provincial government is trying to pass a bill that would guarantee the marginalization of anglophones for good. The bill allows language inspectors (OQLF) to seize property, it forces military families temporarily stationed in Quebec to transfer their kids to french-only schools (a language which their kids don't speak) and it attempts to circumvent international human rights by replacing terms like "ethnic minority" with "cultural community".

The interesting part of that not-so-biased editorial is that it's the French Canadians who are themselves opposed to this bill. The Quebec bar association itself finds the bill is contrary to democratic values, and the majority of protesters on the street are French.

This is no different from the widespread denunciation of SOPA. This is a bill designed to make Quebec a place for "Quebecois" and nobody else.

Amendments are introduced to promote the rights recognized
under the Charter relating to language of work and of the service
sector.
Other amendments seek to reinforce the learning of French
among the various educational clienteles and to discourage the
circumvention of the measures provided for in the Charter regarding
the language of instruction.

In addition, the Charter of human rights and freedoms is amended
to enshrine new language rights.

12. The Charter is amended by inserting the following sections after
section 29.1:
“29.2. Every 10 years following the recognition of a municipal body
under subparagraph 1 or 2 of the second paragraph of section 29.1, the Office
shall evaluate whether the conditions justifying the recognition have been
maintained, and shall send a written status report to the Minister and the body
concerned.
The evaluation must be based on the information relating to language in the
most recent census taken in accordance with Canadian statistics legislation. If,
at the time of the first evaluation, the publication of that data was more than
two years old, the evaluation is postponed until the year that follows the
publication of the subsequent census. Subsequent evaluations are postponed
accordingly.
Unless otherwise provided by law, the Office may also be required to perform
such an evaluation, at the Minister’s request, in anticipation of or following a
major restructuring of the body, such as a merger or an integration involving
the recognized body and another body that does not have such recognition.

29.4. The Government may also, upon the filing of a status report by
the Office under section 29.2, on the Minister’s recommendation and when the
body concerned no longer satisfies the conditions that justified its recognition,
withdraw such recognition if it considers it appropriate in light of all the
circumstances.
Elements that may be considered for that purpose include the historical
presence of an English-speaking community receiving services from the
recognized body or the significant involvement of members of such a community
within that body.
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No decision to withdraw the recognition of a body may be made without the
Office and the body having been invited by the Minister to submit their
observations. They must be allowed at least 45 days to do so.”

17. Section 40 of the Charter is amended
(1) by replacing “of the Office québécois de la langue française” in the first
paragraph by “of the Minister”;
(2) by adding the following sentence at the end of the first paragraph: “The
permit is subject to the duration and other conditions fixed by the Minister
upon authorizing its issue.”;

19. Sections 41 to 50 of the Charter are replaced by the following sections:
“41. In order to ensure that workers’ rights under section 4 are respected,
an employer shall
(1) use French in written communications to staff;

“46. Before requiring knowledge, or a specific level of knowledge, of a
language other than French for a position, an employer must thoroughly evaluate
the actual linguistic needs relating to that position; the employer must
subsequently review such needs periodically.
The evaluation must consider, among other factors, the linguistic skills
already required of other personnel members to satisfy the needs of the
enterprise.
47. An employer is prohibited from requiring that a person have
knowledge of or a specific level of knowledge of a language other than French
unless the nature of the person’s duties with the employer requires such
knowledge.

48. Every person has a right to work in an environment that is free from
vexatious behaviour, discrimination or harassment based on the person’s not
having a sufficient command of a language other than French, demanding the
right to work in French or having asserted a right arising from the provisions
of this chapter.
The employer must take reasonable steps to prevent this type of behaviour
and, on learning of such behaviour, to put a stop to it.

49. An employer is prohibited from dismissing, laying off, demoting or
transferring a person, or taking reprisals or imposing any other sanctions on a
person because the person does not have a sufficient command of a language
other than French, or because the person has asserted a right arising from the
provisions of this chapter.

30. The Charter is amended by inserting the following after section 88:
88.0.2. No secondary school diploma may be issued to a student who
does not have the knowledge of spoken and written French required by the
programs of the Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports.

“151. An enterprise that employs between 26 and 49 persons and that
maintains that number for more than six months during two consecutive years
is governed by this division.
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“151.1. An enterprise must verify its mode of operation and, taking into
account its specific circumstances, must pursue the following objectives:
(1) making French the normal and everyday language of work

156.1. The Minister may, by a regulation, require any specific category
of municipal body to adopt a language policy in order to encourage the
implementation of measures to give the French language a predominant place
in their activities.
156.4. In addition to determining measures to generalize the use of
French and give it a predominant place in the activities of the municipal body,
the language policy of a municipal body must underline that French is the
official language of Québec, the normal and everyday language used in the
public sphere, and an essential instrument of social cohesion.

160. The Office shall monitor the linguistic situation in Québec,
especially as regards the use and status of the French language and the behaviour
and attitudes of the various linguistic groups. It shall render an account of its
observations, at least every five years, in a report to the Minister. The report
may include recommendations.

50. Section 166 of the Charter is replaced by the following section:
“166. The Office may designate any person, generally or specially, to
make an inquiry or an inspection.”

51. Sections 174 and 175 of the Charter are replaced by the following
sections:
“174. A person authorized to act under section 166 may, at any reasonable
time, for the purpose of ascertaining compliance with this Act and the
regulations, visit any place where an activity governed by this Act is carried
on.

175.2. The operator of a place undergoing an inspection is required to
give the person authorized to act under section 166 reasonable assistance in
carrying out the inspection.

175.3. During the course of an inspection, the person authorized to act
as an inspector may seize any thing which he or she believes on reasonable
grounds may prove the commission of an offence under this Act or the
regulations.

177. If the Office is of the opinion that this Act or a regulation under
this Act has been contravened, it shall refer the matter to the Director of Criminal
and Penal Prosecutions so that appropriate penal proceedings may be instituted
where required.”

57. The Charter is amended by inserting the following section after section 3:
“3.1. Every person has a right to live and work in French in Québec to
the extent provided for in the Charter of the French language (chapter C‑11).
Every person who settles in Québec has a right to learn French and to benefit
from reasonable measures to welcome him and to facilitate his integration into
life in Québec.”

77. The Act is amended by inserting the following section after section 5:
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“5.1. To better reconcile the objectives of the educational program with
the realities of Aboriginal life, the Minister may determine special conditions
for the implementation of the educational program.”

On May 17 2013 03:36 crazyweasel wrote:
how is that fair for the people to which the holiday don't apply (which most of the population).

On May 17 2013 04:12 Abraxas514 wrote:


Well, there is a very large Jewish population in that area of Montreal, perhaps 5%-10% of the total population.

It's fair because it offers no sanctions, only freedoms. You can park for free on *these* days on top of *these* days, the former being Jewish holidays the latter being civil holidays.

I mean, why should I be forced to take Christmas day off? I'm not Christian, I've never celebrated the holiday, yet I don't complain about the free parking.

The thing I find offensive is the elementary school level of thought: "hey that's not fair, we have the same thing but it benefits him more than me!"

If you were told you could park for free one week of the year because of some obscure tradition, would you complain?

On May 17 2013 04:17 Djzapz wrote:

Out of everything he said, it's free parking for jewish people that stuck out. Really?

On May 17 2013 04:12 Abraxas514 wrote:


Well, there is a very large Jewish population in that area of Montreal, perhaps 5%-10% of the total population.

It's fair because it offers no sanctions, only freedoms. You can park for free on *these* days on top of *these* days, the former being Jewish holidays the latter being civil holidays.

I mean, why should I be forced to take Christmas day off? I'm not Christian, I've never celebrated the holiday, yet I don't complain about the free parking.

The thing I find offensive is the elementary school level of thought: "hey that's not fair, we have the same thing but it benefits him more than me!"

If you were told you could park for free one week of the year because of some obscure tradition, would you complain?

On May 17 2013 04:38 crazyweasel wrote:
"I mean, why should I be forced to take Christmas day off? I'm not Christian, I've never celebrated the holiday, yet I don't complain about the free parking.

The thing I find offensive is the elementary school level of thought: "hey that's not fair, we have the same thing but it benefits him more than me!"

the thing here is that we live in a juedo-christian society therefore our seculiar or civil holidays are drawn from that tradition, everybody celebrates christmas even jew and muslim who go and party with their friends. very few people still celebrate this as a religious holiday. while a minority of jews only do the shabbat every friday etc.... its not about not being fair, its just too complicated for the garbages, parking, recycling, you can't just adapt for so few people who are mostly sectarist as i explained and makes it a 1 way commitment from a group to the other, which is unfair.

On May 17 2013 04:29 farvacola wrote:

So what does that make you? A freshman political science student?

On May 17 2013 05:24 crazyweasel wrote:



why mr minister decides its unfair? its a good question. to me the reasonnable answer is that there needs to be a line. that will apply everytime. just like the law. if your'e line is : do w/e you want, then from there how do we judge of the situation. at some point we'll have to accomodate everyone's demands. if no body in NDG cares, its not the case in outremont, not the case else where and so on, we can't just make rules based on case to case. His approach is simple, you have a holiday, plan it, park your car on thrusday its not hard. just like muslims plan with their jobs for friday's prayer at the mosque and things like that, theres no rule in an office where everybody gets afternoon off on friday because there's muslims in the office.

there needs to be a line, then we can make individual exceptions to the rules if its reasonnable.