Canadians are sleepwalking into a crisis. Watch video to see why.
Canadians are sleepwalking into a crisis. Watch video to see why.
TELL US YOUR STORY
Bill 96 legalizes discrimination in an effort to protect French, rendering over 1 million Quebecers second class citizens. By overriding basic constitutional rights, it becomes a mean-spirited platform that makes life harder or denies opportunity for many. Through the collection of stories, and their publication, we will show Quebecers and world the impact of this very near-sighed law unbefitting of a democracy.
“I was rushed to a local Montreal hospital in an ambulance for severe and incapacitating abdominal pain. The treating ER physician did not have the courtesy, nor the humanity, nor the empathy to speak to me – a 22-year old in a desperate state — in my mother tongue: English. Not only did he force me to muddle along, struggling with my Alberta French, he refused to use any English whatsoever in speaking with me. When he approached me, armed with a syringe, filled with some cocktail, I asked TWICE for an explanation of what he was going to inject me with. I did not understand what he explained the first time and asked for clarification. He explained, in French, a second time, only speaking faster and in an impatient and exasperated tone. When I told him a second time “je ne comprends pas”, he proceeded to stab me with the needle, injecting the fluid into my arm – without my consent!”
PREAMBLE: The Task Force on Linguistic Policy (TFLP), a Canadian federally-chartered not-for-profit corporation, is a fully independent Quebec-based, non-partisan advocacy group made up of individuals of diverse backgrounds.
Our Beliefs
- Public Services in Canada should be provided in both official languages in all provinces and territories;
- Divisive policies to protect or promote any one language should never override constitutionally-guaranteed rights and freedoms;
- The French Language is an integral component of Canada’s identity deserving of promotion to encourage its use and adoption;
- The inherent rights of our First Nations must always be acknowledged and ensured; and
- With an increasingly mobile and globally competitive economic environment, punitive language legislation impedes prosperity for all Quebecers.
Our Vision
The TLFP envisions a linguistically tolerant and inclusive Quebec where constitutional rights and freedoms regarding political representation, education, health, social, judicial and other government services are guaranteed in both official languages by law to everyone regardless of background.
Our Mission
The TFLP will represent individuals, partner with organizations and help coordinate under-represented groups to advocate for a bilingual society; taking action to expose and oppose legislative and other measures that:
- Ignore, defy or disregard linguistic rights and freedoms as inscribed in the Canadian Constitution and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, OR
- Reduce or hinder the vitality of, and services for, communities because of linguistic restrictions.
Tools and Tactics
TFLP will deliver its mission through:
- information dissemination, legislative and policy briefs and analysis
- press releases, traditional and social media engagement
- roundtables, speaking engagements and network building
- outreach to elected officials, community and opinion leaders
- events, petitions, campaigns and demonstrations
- court challenges
The Task Force Takes Action:
- Increasing Awareness. Raising Alarm Bells and Being Heard:
- Interviews on French and English media
- Press releases and op-eds
- Bill 96 Brief submission to the QCGN hearings
- C-13 Brief submission to the Senate Committee
- Host Town Hall Meetings and Webinars
- FaceBook Group for discussion and analysis
- Letter (email) campaigns to Business Leaders, Municipal Mayors & Councillors, MPs and Senators
- Facebook Advertising
- Raising Awareness to the Francophone community on Instagram
- TELL US YOUR STORY program enabling the collection and exposure of the impacts of Bill 96 on people’s lives.
- Fighting Back:
- Produced an advertisement to promote the benefits of multilingualism to counter the propaganda being disseminated by L’Imperatif Français’ ad.
- Assisted with the mobilization and organization of participants for two anti-Bill 96 rallies in Montreal in May 2022.
- SponsorIng a superior court lawsuit against both the Attorney General of Quebec and the Attorney General of Canada.
- Community Collaboration
- We work in close collaboration with other community leaders, groups and municipalities.
Coming Soon
- More mobilization events
Our Rights Are Under Attack
Bill 96 will allow Quebec officials:
- To have access to your medical or psychological records and other confidential documents without your consent and without even notifying you.*
- The right to enter any place, other than a house, where an activity is carried out or any other place where documents or other property to which this Act applies may be held.*
- Examine, copy and seize any document or electronic device of a client, employee or owner at a business.*
- Enter your hotel room, your car, and ask you to give them access to your phone and laptop.*
- Inspections can even take place pre-emptively if they think you are about to break the law but have not yet done so. Reporting potential future violations is encouraged!*
- Prevents all quebecers from deciding what schools they want to send their children to.*
- If you don't comply, you can be fined between $700 and $90,000.*
- Ignores and completely bypasses the Quebec Charter of Rights and the Canadian Charter, which means you may have no legal recourse to fight it once it is passed.*
- Increased costs for businesses in Quebec*
Join the fight for Linguistic Rights
Subscribe to the Task Force to get updates on News and Events
Join our FaceBook Group for news, events, commentary and discussions
Sign Up to Volunteer
Donate To The Cause
Fighting legal battles and promoting our cause can be costly. Show your support by donating to help protect your rights.
Language Equality is Under Threat in Canada
The use of provincial and national notwithstanding clauses will suppress basic human rights for all Quebecers in extreme and illegitimate ways at home, at school, the workplace and in their commercial transactions.
To make matters even worse, the federal government has confirmed that Quebec can, on its own without using Constitution’s pre-established amending formula, amend Canada’s Constitution to declare itself a nation, that Quebecers are a nation, and that French is its only “official” and common language.
The proposed unilateral Constitutional amendment is, in itself, unconstitutional and ill-advised public policy that will affect other aspects of the Canadian Constitution.
Quebecers, Francophones, Anglophones, Allophones, and all Canadians can stand united for equal and official bilingualism.
Logic, fact, morality and the law are on our side.