"Gilles Duceppe will continue to push for a stronger Bill 101"

5 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2009-06-07 15:51

toddsschneider

MONTREAL — Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe is unwilling to dump his motion to have Quebec's French Language Charter extended to industries operating in the province under federal labour laws, despite it being soundly rejected by Parliament.

Duceppe, speaking at a rally in Montreal on Saturday aimed at protecting French and promoting its use among new immigrants in the province, also took some jabs at his rival, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, for failing to support his motion.

"He said it would impede business," Duceppe told reporters, citing examples like Wal-Mart and mining giant Rio Tinto as companies that are profitable in Quebec despite its language laws. "There's no justification for him saying this. The fact (the Liberals) voted against Bill 101 being applied to the Canadian Labour Code is a clear illustration that recognizing Quebec as a nation is nothing more than a symbol" ...

Sun, 2009-06-07 16:33

Unionist

The headline (and the thread title) are misleading. The BQ has long demanded that the principles of Bill 101 be made applicable to the small percentage of Québec employees who are under federal jurisdiction - not that Bill 101 should be made "stronger".

For example, an insurance company office in Rimouski must comply with the French Language Charter, but a branch of the Bank of Montreal in Rimouski doesn't have to - because banks happen to be federally regulated.

Likewise, the insurance company branch in Rimouski can't use scabs during a lawful strike or lockout - but the BMO branch can.

I'd like to see Duceppe (and others) do a better job in explaining to Quebeckers that there is no substantive difference between Harper and Ignatieff - not just on Québec issues, but on every single other issue.

Sun, 2009-06-07 17:28

toddsschneider

"Bid to protect French in Quebec threatens minorities elsewhere: groups"

http://tinyurl.com/pvjzgf

... “People should have the opportunity and the right to work in French in Quebec, (but) I’m not sure that with something like (this legislation), that we need to change a whole act to accommodate this right,” said Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of the Quebec Community Groups Network. “It feels like using a mallet to kill an ant.”

But Martin-Laforge said her group has received legal advice from a constitutional lawyer, Pierre Foucher from the University of Ottawa, suggesting the legislation could threaten the protection of minority groups across Canada under the Official Languages Act ...

The Quebec Community Groups Network has suggested that any changes to the federal labour code should reflect the Official Languages Act, and it worries the NDP is opening up a Pandora’s Box by pledging to introduce a new version of the Bloc legislation ...

Sun, 2009-06-07 17:42

Unionist

Totally useless article. Explains nothing. What changes is the BQ proposing to the Official Languages Act? Now I'll have to go look it up.

Tue, 2009-06-09 00:20

Debater

Why is the NDP so in favour of this? It seems like ever since Jack Layton became leader of the NDP he has gone overboard in an attempt to appeal to Quebec nationalists.