Montrealers will now have to certify that they are entitled to services in English to consult the English version of the City’s website or speak in English at 3-1-1.
The metropolis has added since Thursday messages on its telephone lines and on its website to warn that only citizens covered by one of the exceptions to the law on the Charter of the French language can address its employees in the language of Shakespeare. The City of Montreal thus claims to comply with the recent reform of Bill 101.
“Who has the right to consult the site in English? », asks now a blue banner placed at the top of each page of the site of the City of Montreal.
“If you continue to consult the website in English, you certify that you belong to one of the groups designated in the new law”. These groups that can continue to be served in English include all citizens who received services in English before May 13, 2021, as well as immigrants who arrived less than six months ago.
At 3-1-1, a pre-recorded message mentions that to have the right to press the button that allows you to speak in English to an operator, the caller must certify that he belongs to one of these groups. .
Under Law 96, adopted in 2022, “services to the public must be provided exclusively in French”, explains the City of Montreal. “In certain situations, it allows organizations, including the City, to offer services in another language. »
In addition to Anglophones established in Quebec before 2021 and immigrants who have just arrived, natives, those who do not reside in Quebec and those eligible for English schooling can also consult the website in English, again according to the City. .
Valérie Plante’s cabinet did not immediately react to the request for The Press.
According to data from the 2021 census, 13% of Montrealers speak only English. No less than 84% of metropolitan residents are fluent in French, while 2% cannot converse in either official language.