The 48 cities, towns, and boroughs in Quebec that were at risk of losing their bilingual status under a new provincial language law have all chosen to maintain their right to serve people in both English and French. The Office québécois de la langue française, the province’s language office, has confirmed that these municipalities have taken the necessary steps to remain bilingual.
The new language law stipulates that municipalities with less than 50% of citizens whose mother tongue is English could lose their rights to communicate in English with residents. However, Bill 96 allows bilingual cities to prevent the revocation of their status by passing a resolution to affirm their desire to remain bilingual within 120 days of receiving notification from the province.
In December, over half of the province’s 89 bilingual municipalities received such notices, as their English-speaking populations ranged from 7.2% to nearly 50%. The law is said to strike a balance between promoting French and protecting minority rights, as mayors will have to justify their decisions to voters, according to French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge’s office.