Quebec adopts controversial law overhauling French Language Charter

Quebec’s majority government has adopted its contentious language bill overhauling the Charter of the French language, in a vote that lasted only minutes at the National Assembly this afternoon. 

Dissent over Bill 96 had escalated in recent weeks with thousands holding protests, denouncing the bill for impeding on the rights of anglophones, allophones and Indigenous communities.

The bill is large in scope, limiting the use of English in the courts and public services and imposing tougher language requirements on small businesses and municipalities.

It also caps the number of students who can attend English-language colleges, known as CEGEPs, and increases the amount of French courses students at the colleges