Quebec readies new language education law

Quebec's Liberal government will be ready to introduce guidelines for English-language education eligibility in coming months, in response to recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Quebec Justice Minister Kathleen Weil said her ministry is craftinglegislation to replace Bill 104 after the country's top court declared it unconstitutional.

"We're not going to wait a year to announce it, that's for sure," Weil said this week, referring to the Supreme Court's new-year deadline for new legislation.

"There is a consensus in Quebec that you can't buy a right."

Bill 104 closed a loophole in Quebec's French Language Charter, which lays out the province's language policy in all sectors of public life.

The loophole allowed parents without English education eligibility to gain access to the public English-language school system by sending their children to a private English school first.

Quebec's tough language laws require children in the public system to attend French schools unless their parents meet certain criteria and can provide a "certificate of eligibility."

Bill 104, introduced in 2002, strengthened Quebec's language law until a group of parents challenged it in court.

Educators concerned aboutresponse

The Supreme Courtdecision, rendered in October, was considered a victory for English-language rights in Quebec. But English school board officials are nervous about the Liberal government's legal response.

"Bill 104 was ruled unconstitutional. It's patently unfair," said Lester B. Pearson School Board chairman Marcus Tabachnick. "Be done with it. Over. It doesn't have to be fixed. It has to be sent away."

Tabachnick added he's disappointed that elected anglophone officials, including Weil, haven't stood up for Quebec's English-speaking population.

"We deserve to be treated properly, but nobody seems to care about the future of this community," he said.

In 2007, Quebec's Court of Appealstruck down Bill 104, stating it was a violation of Section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.