Lawyer says language watchdog has vast powers of search and seizure that exceed those of police
A group of 23 bilingual municipalities asked a Quebec Superior Court judge on Monday to suspend several portions of the province’s 2022 language reform, arguing that the application of the law will cause them serious and irreparable harm.
Grey said the law could prevent cities from writing contracts in English, would grant the government the ability to withhold federal subsidies to cities that don’t comply, and would give the language watchdog vast powers of search and seizure that exceed those of police. Grey asked the judge to suspend the application of several provisions until a full hearing can be held on the validity of the law, for which the government pro-actively invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield it from some court challenges.
“The contracts, the vast power of search and seizure, the federal subsidies that are given out and the duty to discipline are all things which should await a final decision on what the rules are,” he said. “The municipal administration only has the powers conferred on them by provincial legislative measures,” he said.
Steven Erdelyi, a city councillor for the Montreal-area city of Cote-St-Luc, said his municipality receives $3-million to $4-million a year in grants, mostly originating federally, which help pay for infrastructure.
City Grey English Language Municipality Basis Evidence New Brunswick Quebec Ontario
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