English school board chair booted from Denis Coderre's party over stance on language reform

Denis Coderre's party has booted one of itsstar candidates for the Montreal municipal electionout of caucus in a dramatic show of support for the Quebec government's proposed language reform bill.

Joe Ortona, chair of the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), was theEnsemble Montral candidate for Cte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grce's hotly contested district of Loyola a largely English-speaking neighbourhood that currently has no councillor after Christian Arseneault's recent resignation.

On Tuesday, Coderre said in a statement thatthe EMSB's stance on Bill 96 "totally goes against his party's values."

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Ortona said he was disappointed in the decision and was considering running as an independent.

EMSBcommissioners adopted a resolution last week calling on Quebec to withdraw Bill 96. It also called on the federal governmentto refer the bill tothe Supreme Court of Canada to rule on whether it's legal.

The wide-ranging bill, if adopted, would beef up the province's language laws, affecting the education, immigration and court systems.

Workplaces would also be affected as Bill 96 would essentially make French the only language needed to work in the province.

In a statement, the board cites concerns over issues such as restrictions on who is entitled to receive government services in the language of their choice, a cap on English CEGEP enrolment, and a narrowed definition of who qualifies as a member of Quebec's English-speaking community.

Party touts Ortona'supholding of constitutionalrights

When Ensemble Montral announced Ortona's candidacy back in July, the party touted his "dedication to upholding the constitutional rights of the English-speaking community."

That exaltation flipped to condemnation as Coderre proclaimed thatthe protection of Frenchis "one our fundamental values."

"We have demonstrated this publicly on several occasions, in particular with our request for the creation of a French language council," he says in a statement.

Coderre says he and his party recognize Quebec as a nation.

Meanwhile, Quebec Premier Franois Legault described the EMSB as radical and disconnected during a news conference. He said he was happy that Ortona was kicked out ofCoderre's party.

Loyola district hotly contested

In recent elections, the Loyola district has had a number of popular candidates diluting the vote.

In the 2017 election, Arseneault, flying theProjet Montralbanner, ran against incumbent Jeremy Searle, taking 43 per cent of the vote.

Searle, who stirred up a storm of controversy during his four-year mandate, managed to win only 12 per cent of the vote, butEnsemble Montral's GabrielRetta came in second place with 32 per cent.

Ensemble Montral says Retta, theofficial opposition's cabinet director, will replace Ortona and once again run in the district.

Rettaalso ran for Coderre in the neighbouring district of NDGin 2013 the long-time stronghold of Peter McQueen.

Come November,Retta will be facing off against Annalisa Harris, the borough's former chief of staff. She is running with quipe Sue Montgomery.

He's also up againstDespina Sourias ofProjet Montral. Sourias, who speaks four languages,has worked at the local Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Notre-Dame-de-Grce since 2006.

Rettais no stranger to west end politics. Heheaded the constituency office of former MP Marlene Jennings in NDG for about 10 years while she represented the NDGLachine riding. Harris also worked for Jennings for a short time while she was MP.

Jennings was put in charge of the EMSB by the Quebec government in 2019 after an investigation revealed mismanagement and spending irregularities.

Ortona said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that he is disappointed by Ensemble Montral's decision, and had beenlooking forward to running in Loyola, where his reputation as a defender of English rights was well known.

"Many supporters want me to stay in the race as an independent and I am now in reflection where that is concerned," said Ortona.

The EMSBresolution hasdrawn criticism from Bill 96's proponentsfor questioning the bill's statement that Quebec is a nation, and Ortona said he will recommend that section be deleted from the board's resolution.

"In looking ahead, I will continue to speak out in favour of an inclusive Quebec where the use of French is promoted," Ortona said. "At the same time, I will not back down from promoting the interests and the views of English-speaking Quebecers."