Bill 96 discriminatory against immigrants, group says

Community organizations that work with newcomers say Quebec’s updated language law Bill 96 is discriminatory and is setting immigrants up for failure.

Some say instead of investing in their success they’re being put to the test.

“It becomes discriminatory to our views, because of the way it’s handled,” said Evelyn Calugay, executive director of Filipino women’s rights group Pinay Quebec.

“If they will give support to newcomers to learn French to them its additional expenses but the problem with that they see only what they spend but they don’t see what the new immigrants can contribute to the society,” said Calugay.

Quebec Premier François Legault signalled to reporters on Wednesday that the government is willing to go as far as it takes to quote protect the French language down to controlling the language that people speak at home.

Bill 96 contains a clause that will require newcomers to learn french within 6 months of their arrival – once the time is up they will no longer be able to access most public services in any other language.

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“What I’m trying to do is make sure we keep French as the common language in Quebec and to do so the indicators we have is the language spoken at home, the language speaking when you work and I would like also to have new indicators about the language spoken in the public place.” This comment by Legault causing outrage on social media.

One person wrote, “You’re treading on a whole new level of infringement with Bill96 Francois Legault when suggesting that you want to see ALL Quebecers speak French at home also; due to “indicators” that you are seeing. Are we not in a free democracy? It appears not.” https://twitter.com/DealmakerJoel/status/1532086350853332992

Another, “As a French speaker, I’m very sorry & angry that the #Bill96 got passed here in Québec. It is discriminatory & wrong. You don’t preserve a language by forcing people to speak it. Let people speak what they want & accept differences.”

As a French speaker, I’m very sorry & angry that the #Bill96 got passed here in Québec. It is discriminatory & wrong. You don’t preserve a language by forcing people to speak it. Let people speak what they want & accept difference. This shit won’t bring any good thing.

— F ???? (@fathxma) May 25, 2022

And, “One of the hardest parts of #Bill96 for me as a medical educator is that in a few years students being socialized into a professionalism of concern for the vulnerable will see it as normal to punish refugees to worse outcomes after 6 mths because they cant be spoken to in English.”

One of the hardest parts of #Bill96 for me as a medical educator is that in a few years students being socialized into a professionalism of concern for the vulnerable will see it as normal to punish refugees to worse outcomes after 6 mths because they cant be spoken to in English

— Saleem Razack (@SaleemRazack) June 2, 2022

“The immediate reaction of new immigrants they still have difficulties immigrating so to them it’s like them being pressured on something. It’s like they’re not being given the choice,” said Calugay.

Community groups say the language law will make daily tasks extremely difficult for immigrants which will cause many to feel isolated from the very society they want to integrate into.

“We have to tell everyone who are coming here or planning to come to Canada not to come to Quebec if this is what they have to live,” said Calugay.

“Racial discrimination because we are people who don’t know how to speak french because we were not colonized by french we were colonized by the English. Did we have a choice who colonized us? Of course not.”