An English-speaking school board in Montreal criticizes the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) for its “very restrictive” interpretation of new law 96, which would require it to Frenchify all its internal communications, including messages sent to parents.
The English Montreal School Board (CSEM) therefore intends to present a new legal challenge on Wednesday afternoon in order to obtain a “respite” from continuing to use English internally.
This decision stems from recent communications with the OQLF which would interpret in a “very restrictive” manner the situations where it would be authorized to use only English, affirms the CSEM.
Thus, all communications affecting the activities of the school board, from messages between directors to missives sent to teachers or parents, should be in the language of Molière.
“This vision places an unnecessary burden on our staff and diverts their attention from educational priorities and students,” said EMSB President Joe Ortona in a press release issued Wednesday.
“Moreover, even though the province is facing a teacher shortage, the government’s approach is reducing our candidate pool and considerably limiting the opportunities offered to monolingual anglophones within the EMSB,” he adds.
Contacted on Wednesday, the OQLF did not immediately react to the CSEM’s assertions.
If this new legal challenge is confirmed, it would be the second initiated by the CSEM regarding Bill 96. In fact, barely two days after its adoption in the National Assembly, the school board had already announced that she would contest this update of law 101 initiated by the Legault government.