Census data fails to show a threat to the dominance of the French language in the province
On May 14, a few thousand Québec anglophones held a demonstration in Montreal to protest measures contained in Bill 96, measures that will radically diminish the public services available in their language and curtail the development of English colleges.
Let us be clear here. The situation of Québec’s anglophones is considerably better than that of the French-speaking minorities in the rest of Canada.
Again, it is important to inject some perspective in this discussion. Although the rights of Québec’s Anglos are indeed limited by Bill 96, comparing the legislation to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia or the Québec government’s language officials to the Gestapo, as some of the English community’s prominent voices have done, is not only wildly exaggerated; it serves to confirm the nationalists’ claim that English-speakers suffer from “a persecution complex.” .
Without resorting to hyperbole, there are good reasons to challenge the need for Bill 96’s bureaucratic assault on the speaking of English in Québec. One of those reasons is that this attack is based on a false premise. Yes, because French is the language of a small minority on the continent, it needs protection and promotion. But is French currently set to disappear, as many assert, quoting anecdotal evidence and sloppy media reporting?Article content