Charter of the French Language
The Charter of the French Language, also known as Bill 101, was enacted in Quebec on August 26, 1977, to promote and protect the French language within the province. Proposed by Quebec's Minister of Cultural Development, Camille Laurin, this legislation aimed to ensure that French would be the dominant language in public life, including government, education, and commerce. Prior to this charter, Quebec had been officially bilingual, but Bill 101 established French as the sole official language, addressing concerns about the influence of English in a predominantly French-speaking society.
The charter's provisions allow for the use of English and other languages, ensuring that minority groups, including Anglophones and Aboriginal peoples, have language rights. For example, legal documents must be available in both English and French, and individuals can communicate in either language in courts. Despite the charter's emphasis on French, the private sector has seen significant use of English, particularly in industries like technology.
The charter has also faced challenges, including a complaint to the United Nations regarding language discrimination affecting an English-speaking child from Trinidad required to attend a French school. Overall, the Charter of the French Language has played a crucial role in shaping Quebec's linguistic landscape and continues to influence discussions about language rights and identity in the province.
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Subject Terms
Charter of the French Language
Identification Canadian legislation also known as Bill 101
Date Passed on August 26, 1977
The Charter of the French Language was a law passed in Quebec for the purpose of legally making French the official language of the province as well as in “the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce, and business.”
The Charter of the French Language, proposed by Quebec Minister of Cultural Development Camille Laurin, was enacted by the National Assembly on August 26, 1977, under René Lévesque’s Parti Québécois government. It is one of the quasi-constitutional laws known as the Quebec Statutes.
The purpose of the charter was to ensure both the influence and the quality of French in Quebec. The majority of citizens of the province spoke French as their first language, and many of them also spoke English. Before 1974, Quebec was the only officially bilingual province in Canada. The passage of Bill 101 declared that Quebec citizens are entitled to speak in and be served in all areas of life within the public sector—stores, courts, schools, government offices—in the French language. An earlier bill passed in 1974, the Official Language Act (Bill 22), had made French the official language of Quebec; however, that law was not designed to have as far-reaching an impact as Bill 101. The Charter of the French Language encompassed all aspects of everyday life.
Impact
Aboriginal (native) peoples and Anglophones (English speakers) live in Quebec as well as Francophones (French speakers), though they are the minority. Therefore, the government had to consider the charter’s impact, historically and constitutionally, upon these groups. In order to guarantee language rights to these groups, the National Assembly incorporated into the bill a number of provisions guaranteeing the use of languages other than French—laws were to be printed in English and French, individuals could address a court in either English or French, signs could be include English and French—as long as the French words were dominant.
Subsequent Events
While French is the language now used in all official communication and government relations in Quebec, this is not true within the private sector. In business transactions, the exclusive use of English prevails, especially in economic sectors such as the high-tech industry.
Another group affected by this legislation was the immigrant population. In 1999, a complaint was lodged with the United Nations involving an English-speaking child from Trinidad who had been forced to enroll in a French school. The complaint alleged that this action constituted a violation of international agreements and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights regarding discrimination on the basis of language.
Bibliography
Charter of the French Language (Bill No. 101) withRegulations, 1979-80. 2d ed. Don Mills, Ont.: CCH Canadian, 1980.
Larrivée, Pierre, ed. Linguistic Conflict and Language Laws: Understanding the Quebec Question. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
Laurin, Camille. Québec’s Policy on the French Language. Quebec: Province of Quebec, 1977.