Canada: Quebec Liberals to crack down on language charter

[Harold Schiffman]

Quebec Liberals to crack down on language charter
RHÉAL SÉGUIN

February 5, 2008

QUEBEC -- Quebec's governing Liberal Party will consider measures to
crack down on those who refuse to comply with the province's French
language charter and it wants to promote Quebec's "national identity"
as part of a platform aimed at attracting francophone voters. A
document released yesterday by the party's policy commission, and to
be debated at a convention next month, also stresses the need for
administrative agreements with Ottawa rather than constitutional
changes to give Quebec more powers to regulate radio and television
licences, oversee regional development and exercise full control over
student bursaries. "We see in the report that the Quebec Liberal Party
is a strong defender of Quebec. This is not just a question of
beautiful speeches and words. These are very tangible proposals," said
Marc Tanguay, who headed one of three working groups that consulted
with members last fall.

The Liberals need to attract support among francophone voters if they
hope to win a majority government in the next election. A survey
conducted by the polling firm Crop and published last week in La
Presse shows they had the support of only 23 per cent of francophones,
compared with 41 per cent for the Parti Québécois and 26 per cent for
the Action Démocratique du Québec, the Official Opposition.  In light
of recent controversy over the decline of the French language in
Montreal, the Liberals propose to "raise fines significantly for
businesses that refuse to comply" with the charter, Bill 101.

The party would initially be lenient toward those who violate the law,
but once all efforts to seek compliance have failed, stiff fines would
be imposed. It suggests the party has abandoned a past proposal to
define a Quebec constitution and has all but given up on
constitutional negotiations with the rest of Canada. Instead, it will
seek bilateral agreements with Ottawa.  For instance, the party
proposes that the Quebec government name a third of the commissioners
on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and
that they have a veto over all decisions regarding licences to
stations in the province.

Another proposal would eliminate overlapping federal and provincial
services. The document proposes Quebec have control over regional
development and that Ottawa withdraw from the Millennium Fund and give
the province charge of federal funding for student bursaries.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080205.QUEBEC05/TPStory/National


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