English-only job postings at Davie shipyard lead to calls for government action

Quebec's opposition parties are calling on the government to take action to ensure the Davieshipyard near Quebec City conforms with the province's language laws.

The calls follow reports that job openings for managers and professional employeesat the shipyard in Lvis, Que.,were posted in English only, and many of the positions advertised did not require the candidates to be fluent in French.

The company said the postings were a mistake, but acknowledged that finding qualified French-speaking employees was a challenge.

PartiQubcoisleader Pierre KarlPladeaudisputedthat claim.

"It's totally unacceptable," he said."I'm convinced there are just as many French-speaking men and women who want to work at the shipyard," he said.

Coalition Avenir Qubec leader Franois Legaultechoed Pladeau, pointing to the company's location in Lvisjustacross the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City.

"It's unacceptable that a company situated right next to hererecruits in English only," he said.

Legault also noted thatit's not the first time the shipyard has run afoul of Quebec's language charter, known as Bill 101.

Since 2014, a union representing Davie employees has filed a number of complaints with the Office qubcois de lalanguefranaise(OQLF), theagency thatenforces Quebec's language laws.The union's complaints state thatEnglish is the dominant workplace language at the shipyard.

Representatives of the OQLFwere scheduled to meet with the shipyard's management on Wednesday.

The OQLF has given the company until May to bring its practices into line with the law.