The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) pleaded on Tuesday for better protection of French in the face of the asymmetry of linguistic situations in Canada.
In its brief presented to the Department of Official Languages as part of the official languages consultations on Bill C-13, the CCMM insisted on the need to protect and encourage the use of French in Canada.
Starting from the premise that Canada’s linguistic duality constitutes a pillar of national identity, the Consular Chamber considers that linguistic peace is a “sine qua non” condition for the country and its economic development.
In this regard, the Board of Trade, which believes that an environment of linguistic cohabitation allows for prosperous and sustainable economic development, stresses the importance for Anglophones of being able to communicate in French in their business in Quebec.
Calling for the rapid adoption of Bill C-13, the organization wants to allow private companies under federal jurisdiction located in Quebec to comply with the provincial or federal system in order to avoid the duplication of regulatory frameworks.
“Since the start of consultations on the reform of the Official Languages Act in 2016, the Chamber has insisted on the need to recognize the asymmetrical status between French and English in Canada,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the management of the CCMM.
“We are asking for the rapid adoption of a bill accompanied by an action plan providing for concrete measures capable of preserving linguistic peace in Canada,” pleaded the same official.
“The business community has repeatedly expressed the importance of strengthening French as the business language of Quebec,” added Mr. Leblanc, calling for avoiding an increase in the administrative burden.