Claire is from Quebec, and they have been talking about La charte de la langue française, a law in the province of Quebec that defines French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of the provincial government, a law that was adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec on a day like today in 1977.
The Charter of the French Language, in French La charte de la langue française, (the Charter) also known in English as Bill 101 or Law 101, in French Loi 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of the provincial government.
It is the central legislative piece in Quebec's language policy, and one of the three statutory documents Quebec society bases its cohesion upon, along with the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Civil Code of Quebec. The Charter also protects the Indigenous languages of Quebec.
Proposed by Camille Laurin, the Minister of Cultural Development under the first Parti Québécois government of Premier René Lévesque, it was passed by the National Assembly and received royal assent on August 26, 1977.
The Charter's provisions expanded upon the 1974 Official Language Act (Bill 22), which was enacted during the tenure of Premier Robert Bourassa's Liberal government to make French the official language of Quebec. Prior to 1974, Quebec had no official language and was subject only to the requirements on the use of English and French contained in Article 133 of the British North America Act, 1867.
The Charter has been amended more than six times since 1977.
More information: Publications Québec (Française)
The preamble of the Charter states that the National Assembly resolved to make French the language of Government and the Law, as well as the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business. It also states that the National Assembly is to pursue this objective in a spirit of fairness and open-mindedness, recognizes the right of the Amerinds and the Inuit of Quebec, the first inhabitants of this land, to preserve and develop their original language and culture.
The Charter consists of six titles and two schedules.
The nine chapters of Title I, pertaining to the status of the French language, declare French the sole official language (chapter I), define the fundamental language rights of persons (chapter II), and define the status of French in the parliament and the courts (chapter III), the civil administration (chapter IV), the semipublic agencies (chapter V), labour relations (VI), commerce and business (VII), and language of instruction (VIII).
Title III establishes the Office québécois de la langue française (Quebec Office of the French language), defines its mission, powers, and organization.
Title IV establishes the Conseil supérieur de la langue française (Superior Council of the French language).
Title V and VI define penal provisions and sanctions and transitional and miscellaneous provisions.
To achieve the goal of making French the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business and ensure the respect of French Quebecers' language rights, the Charter contains a number of key provisions and various regulations.
In the first article of the Charter, French is declared the official language of Quebec.
The French language was previously declared the sole official language of Quebec with the adoption of the Official Language Act in 1974.
More information: Publications Québec (English)
The fundamental French-language rights in Quebec are:
1) The right to have the civil administration, the health services and social services, the public utility enterprises, the professional corporations, the associations of employees and all enterprises doing business in Quebec communicate with the public in French. (article 2)
2) The right to speak French in deliberative assemblies. (article 3)
3) The right of workers to carry on their activities in French. (article 4)
4) The right of consumers to be informed and served in French. (article 5)
5) The right of persons eligible for instruction in Quebec to receive that instruction in French. (article 6)
The instruction language is the language in which the classes are taught. Learning of English as a second language is mandatory for all children attending French school beginning in elementary school.
Articles 87, 88 and 89 provide for the use of Amerindic languages and Inuktitut as the language of instruction. The rate of introduction of French and English as languages of instruction is left to school committees and parents' committees.
At the request of parents, the following may receive instruction in English:
- A child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and received elementary instruction in English anywhere in Canada, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary instruction he/she received in Canada;
- A child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and who has received or is receiving elementary or secondary instruction in English in Canada, and the brothers and sisters of that child, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary or secondary instruction received by the child in Canada.
The original 1977 Charter provided for the English instruction not on the basis of a parent having received his instruction in English in Canada, but in Quebec only. This came to be amended following the adoption of the Constitution Act 1982, which defined the educational right of French and English minorities in all provinces under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
More information: Assemblée Nationale du Québec
they speak French all the time.
There is a part of town called Old Quebec
which is really like being in France.
The architecture is just gorgeous, food, shopping.
I'd say Quebec City is the most beautiful city
in North America I've seen.
Sebastian Bach
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