Indigenous groups in Superior Court challenging Bill 96

WENDAKE – Two Indigenous groups are filing a legal challenge in Quebec Superior Court against Bill 96, which affects 14 sections of the Charter of the French Language.

The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador and the First Nations Education Council believe that provisions of the Act infringe on the ancestral rights of Indigenous peoples.

In their view, the rights to self-determination and self-government in education are the prerogative of First Nations, as set out in the Constitution Act, 1982, particularly in the areas of education, teaching and the use of ancestral languages.

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The groups criticize the Government of Quebec for not taking their claims and representations into account and for not having consulted them prior to tabling the bill. They claim that the bill will have considerable impacts in the medium and long term in several areas of their development.

The Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, Ghislain Picard, believes that the Quebec government is using insidious methods of assimilation that date from another century.

Sipi Flamand, Chief of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan, adds that the law is a direct attack on the languages and cultural identities of First Nations and Inuit and is an extension of a policy aimed at fostering systemic racism against them.

The groups affirm that they do not question the importance of French to the people of Quebec and recognize the importance of language and education to a people’s identity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 20, 2023.