+34
Elections Quebec poll workers must ask voters if they have English education eligibility or are Indigenous before speaking English, a directive tied to Bill 96 that anglophone groups say violates voting rights.
Elections Quebec poll workers have been instructed to speak English with voters only in certain situations during Quebec's general election, according to a directive obtained by CTV News.
New Directive For Poll Workers To Verify English Rights
The policy requires staff to ask voters whether they have the right to English communication before using English at polling stations. The directive, provided to CTV News by an anonymous poll worker, gives sample questions to determine whether a worker can communicate in English. The two questions are: Have you been declared eligible to get an education in English? and Are you a member of the Native community?
If a voter responds yes, the poll worker may speak to them in English. If a voter responds no, the worker must tell the voter the conversation will continue in French to respect the Charter of the French Language. Workers are also advised to say they can repeat what was said in French slowly if the voter does not understand.
The poll worker, who has worked municipal, provincial and federal polls for 35 years, said this was the first time they encountered such a directive. It floored me when I read it; I could not believe it, the worker told CTV News. It's scary that they have this much control. What's going to happen next?
Elections Quebec said in a statement that under the Charter of the French Language, staff must ensure voters have the right to communicate with them in English. That said, we rely on the person's statement and do not require any certification or other proof, the agency wrote. It added that it is applying the Charter's provisions for the first time because it was not subject to them before Bill 96.
The poll worker said the directive could create barriers for voters or dissuade them from voting. Some people may not understand the process, like people who are new to the province or who just turned 18, they said. If they don't understand the process, it will be frustrating for them and turn them off, and a lot of people aren't voting anymore. This is just creating a rift between people.
Anglophone Rights Groups Criticize The Policy
Anglophone rights groups have criticized the policy. Andrew Caddell, president of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, said: The direction to refuse to serve non-historic anglophones, and to harass them at polling stations, is disgraceful.
Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of the English-language rights group TALQ, told CTV News that any such directive would violate the spirit of the law and unduly limit English-speaking Quebecers' rights under section three of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to freely exercise their right to vote in an informed manner. The directive follows a Quebec Superior Court judge's order that Elections Quebec send voter reminder cards in both French and English, suspending the language law that prevented the agency from doing so until the Oct. 5 election.
A lawsuit was filed in early September after Elections Quebec sent French-only voter mailouts with details on where and how to vote because of Bill 96. Elections Quebec said it had always sent election documents in both languages and had requested an exemption from the language law to continue the practice. Quebec's Minister of the French Language and the Commissioner of the French Language denied the request.
Elections Quebec Says Directive Follows Government Decision
The agency has also said the policy to question English-speaking voters was not its decision. We are applying what elected officials have decided and written into the charter, a spokesperson said. The government confirmed on Friday that it would contest the court decision ordering bilingual reminder documents. The court date for the appeal will be Oct. 5, election day, meaning the bilingual documents will still be sent out for this election cycle at least.
Martin-Laforge said: We really hope that we do not have to litigate every single aspect of the electoral process for the Director General of Elections to respect our rights. This has never been the case, and the injunction proved that they should exercise judgement in eliminating barriers to English-speaking citizens of Quebec voting. Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said if his party takes power, it would not use resources to contest the bilingual elections documents decision in court.
He called it an example of how the incumbent Coalition Avenir Quebec party, led by Christine Frechette, has failed to meaningfully help French in Quebec by passing Bill 96 and focusing on red tape and measures that really don't have an impact. I don't think we'll use resources and time on this one, he said. If the pamphlet is in English, it's a fundamental right to go and vote, so I don't see the point.
Voting Deserves Fundamental Right Status Like Civil Code
The civil code is in both languages because it's a fundamental right. I think it's the same for voting.
Please follow us on Google to support us
CBCOttawa
CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Bill 96 English-Speaking Voters Quebec Election Language Rights
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Quebec rock duo Angine de Poitrine wins Polaris Music PrizeThe mysterious Quebec rock duo Angine de Poitrine took home top hardware from the Polaris Music Prize on Tuesday, winning for their album “Vol II” and song “Fabienk.”
Read more »
Class-action lawsuit targets nearly 30 Quebec school boards over uniform costsA class-action lawsuit application has been filed in Quebec Superior Court against approximately 30 school service centres and school boards over the designation of a single supplier for the purchase of uniforms.
Read more »
Élections Québec Poll Workers Restricted to English Under Bill 96 DirectiveA poll worker reveals Élections Québec directive limits English use with voters who lack an English eligibility certificate or Indigenous status, raising concerns ahead of the October 5 election.
Read more »