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Canada  

Quebec bolsters French-language legislation

Que. gets tough on French

The Quebec government has presented its long-awaited revamp of the province's signature piece of language legislation, known as Bill 101.

Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for the French language, tabled a new bill this morning in the legislature.

He says the goal of Bill 96 is to affirm that French is the province's only official language and the common language of the Quebec nation.

The update would create a new French-language commissioner as well as new obligations for employers and government offices regarding the use of French in the workplace.

Other provisions would tighten access to English schools, grant new powers to the French-language watchdog, and set new language rules for professional orders.

The law, also known as the Charter of the French Language, was adopted in 1977 by the government of René Lévesque. Premier Francois Legault has promised to launch consultations this fall on the place of the French language in Quebec.



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