The Quebec Liberal Party proposes actions to enable french to flourish

Mr. Robert Poëti, the MNA for Marguerite-Bourgeoys, endorses the proposals made by the Quebec Liberal Party to promote the use and quality of French in Quebec society.

“The measures presented by the Liberals are in keeping with an approach that, contrary to that of the Parti Québécois, aims to rally all Quebecers around a common goal, to ensure that the French language progresses and flourishes in the public arena and in the workplace. The actions that we are proposing are consistent with the comments heard in the National Assembly during parliamentary hearings from the Barreau du Québec, the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, school boards, CÉGEP and colleges, parents’ committees, municipalities and small and medium-sized businesses,” stated Mr. Poëti.

The measures proposed by the Quebec Liberal Party stress four key areas:

1. Enhance the promotion of the quality of French in elementary school: We believe that the time has come to assess the Plan d’action pour l’amélioration du français à l’enseignement primaire et secondaire (action plan for the improvement of French in elementary and secondary education), adopted in 2008, and to take the steps necessary to reach the objectives for French language instruction.

2. Intensify the use of French at work: We must act in collaboration with businesses, boards of trade, trade associations and unions in order to expand the use of French in the workplace and in businesses. We propose renewing the Stratégie commune d’intervention pour Montréal (2008-2013) (Montreal’s action strategy to help businesses in their francization efforts) and encourage the adoption of this type of strategy in all regions of Quebec.

3. Facilitate the francization of immigrants in all regions: To do this, we must improve the francization services offer to immigrants, notably by making these services available in all regions of Quebec and by using new information technologies to publicize them.

4. Promote the quality of French in the digital age: Concrete actions must be taken to promote and encourage the quality of French in the digital age, notably in social media and in software use. To this end, we must enhance the role of the Office québécois de la langue française to promote of the quality of the French language.

“These measures mobilize key players in the education sector, public service and business as well as economic and social agents in all Quebec regions. Contrary to the PQ government’s Bill 14 that proposes a coercive approach, the Quebec Liberal Party prioritizes incentives and concrete measures that support and respect the balance between the collective goal and individual freedoms,” concluded Mr. Poëti.

The Quebec Liberal Party will vote against the adoption of Bill 14, An Act to amend the Charter of the French language, the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and other legislative provisions, because it takes away citizens’ rights and increases the administrative burden on our businesses.