Louise Harel

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

With less than a year left in her final mandate, Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante has decided to open Montreal’s own Bureau de la langue française, “fully assuming (the city’s) status as a French-speaking metropolis of the Americas.” This was expected since last October, it was a recommendation of the city’s French Language Committee, presided over by former interim PQ leader, Louise Harel.

“Montreal stands proudly as a bastion of the French language,” the mayor said. “The creation of the Bureau de la langue française marks a decisive turning point in our commitment to promoting and protecting our shared language.”

The bureau’s mandate will be, among other things, to ensure the implementation of the new provisions applying to municipal administrations provided for in the Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French.

“This office will spearhead our mission and will make French shine in every corner of our city,” Plante said, “supporting our municipal services and inspiring our citizens to value our linguistic heritage.”

But with the Charter of the French language already governing the province, some question the necessity of this new office. Andrew Caddell, president of the Task Force on Linguistic Police says “it’s a battle that’s already been won,” pointing out that a large majority of Anglophones can already carry on a conversation in French. But while he does give the Plante administration its due for promoting French, he cautions that it’s going to come down to how the Bureau applies the law. “Is it going to be that much more restrictive on Anglophones to be able to access information” from city institutions that they pay for, he wonders. “If the law is applied as written,” he says, “it could be carte blanche for any hypernationalist to make sure that no Anglophone get services or is allowed to have a meeting in English.”

Caddell hopes the Bureau exercises flexibility. “But if it’s an office that is completely inflexible, and is applying both the spirit and the letter of the law, then we have a problem.”

Caroline Bourgeois, the executive committee member responsible for the French language, acknowledges that “this will present challenges in an international Metropolis like Montreal, but we are determined to build bridges with all of the pillars of our community. French will continue to unite us,” she adds, “as the common language of Montreal.”

The official opposition Ensemble Montréal party had no official comment or reaction by publication. n