Bill 101 on Indigenous languages: the Quebec government pauses plans
Posted September 29, 2023 11:01 am.
QUEBEC – The Legault government is temporarily backing down on its plan to introduce a “Bill 101” to protect Indigenous languages.
Indigenous representatives have expressed their discomfort, said the Quebec minister responsible for this file, Ian Lafrenière, on Thursday, the day of the anniversary of the death of Joyce Echaquan.
Last year at almost the same time, CAQ leader François Legault pledged during the election campaign to introduce a bill to defend and promote Indigenous languages.
But there’s still nothing on the legislative agenda. Lafrenière says he has held several meetings with different groups.
“I received a lot of comments: people were uncomfortable with the idea of a bill, they felt that something was being imposed on them,” he explained in a press scrum at the National Assembly.
“They had a language imposed on them that wasn’t their language, whether it was French or English, when we colonized, and now to come back with a bill that talks about Indigenous languages, cultures, it’s extremely sensitive.”
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The CAQ government is awaiting a summary of discussions with the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL).
A bill has not yet been ruled out, but it could also be a plan or budget commitments, the minister summarized.
“Everything is on the table. We want to provide First Nations with the right tools, and that’s the offer we’ve made.”
He reiterated, however, that it won’t be up to the Quebec government to promote or protect Indigenous languages, but to each nation.
“We want to help you, but we’re not the ones who are going to do the protection, the promotion, that’s not our job,” concluded Lafrenière. I understand very, very well the limits of what I can do.”
– This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French in Sept. 28, 2023.
