Quebec’s Bill 96, which restricts the use of English in the delivery of public services, the courts and medium-sized businesses, has galvanized the anglophone community
At a podium in the McGill Faculty Club, before an audience numbering in the low double digits, Colin Standish vowed to “reconquer Quebec” and “let freedom reign.”the province’s Oct. 3 election
The age-old political home of anglos, the Liberal Party of Quebec, ultimately voted against the bill, but supported parts of it; it proposed an amendment that would have required students in the province’s English colleges to take three courses in French. The Liberals have since apologized, but their perceived attempts to court Quebec nationalists have alienated some anglophones.
Sensing an opportunity, other small parties are also trying to nibble at the anglophone vote. The Conservative Party of Quebec has pitched itself as an alternative to the Liberals in heavily English Montreal ridings. Even the province’s tiny Green Party has put up campaign posters appealing to anglos, featuring slogans such as “Bonjour-Hi” – a reference to a bilingual greeting common among Montreal shopkeepers that infuriates some francophones.
At a virtual town hall hosted by the Quebec Community Groups Network , an anglophone advocacy organization, Ms. Anglade spoke about how her background as a Black woman of Haitian descent helped her empathize with linguistic minorities. She praised the English contribution to Quebec history and vowed to increase funding for anglo community groups while repealing large parts of Bill 96.
That argument may carry the day, with anglophones casting their protest vote against the CAQ rather than the Liberals. The wide range of options facing frustrated anglos may splinter the anti-Liberal vote, especially in ridings where the Canadian Party of Quebec and the Bloc Montréal are both running candidates.
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