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Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette will not be ordering Élections Québec to mail voter information documents in English ahead of the Oct. 5 provincial election.
Élections Québec announced on Tuesday it would be mailing voter information documents only in French to comply with the French Language Charter, also known as Bill 96. The law makes French the sole language of communication for public institutions.
Following backlash that included concerns raised by other party leaders, groups representing English-speaking Quebecers as well as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Fréchette said on Wednesday that her government was in talks with Quebec’s chief electoral officer to figure out next steps.
During a news conference on Thursday, however, she stated that Élections Québec’s plan to mail the information only in French does not prevent English speakers from accessing the information they need.
“No one is being denied access to information. No one is being denied the right to vote either. The information remains available in English,” Fréchette said, referring to information that will be available online to English-speakers via QR codes included in the French physical documents or that will be accessible by visiting the agency’s website.
This marks the first time Élections Québec will be mailing voter information documents in French only during a general election.
The agency said on Tuesday that it had tried to convince the government that it should be able to send basic voting information in English and in French during the election period, to no avail.
Legal challenge in the works
Lawyer Eric Maldoff is organizing a legal challenge over the French-only mailouts. Maldoff argues that making English-speakers search online for information that’s legally supposed to be provided to every household is a problem.
“Everybody’s supposed to get the same information around the same time, and on a timely basis in order to be able to make an informed decision as to who to vote for, and to be able to vote,” Maldoff explained.
Plus, he pointed out that not everyone may be able to easily access the English voter information online.
“To say that a whole swath of the population suddenly can only get their information on a differential and more complicated basis means that we don’t all have an equal right to vote.
“[It’s] saying, ‘Well, you English-speaking people, if you want, you can get a QR code so you can get the information.’ That’s a pretty deliberate step … saying, ‘You know, we don’t really care if you vote.'”
Fréchette denies those claims, insisting that “the rights of the English-speaking community are being respected.”
“The ballot remains bilingual. And it will stay that way.”
When told by CBC News that a legal challenge is underway, Fréchette responded that “the laws are being applied.”
‘It’s quite political,’ lawyer says
Civil rights lawyer Julius Gray points out, though, that there’s “nothing in Bill 96 that prevents a manual in English” — something he feels even a reasonable Quebec nationalist would support.
“It makes Quebec look ridiculous,” he said, comparing this situation to the ‘Pastagate’ debacle of 2013, when Quebec’s language police took issue with the work “pasta” on a restaurant’s menu.
Gray believes the introduction of Bill 96 is part of a “regrettable trend” of “linguistic dogmatism and identity politics” in the province. He said Quebecers don’t want language headlines to become a daily way of life.
“It’s time,” Gray said, “to re-establish common sense in Quebec.”
Both he and Maldoff expressed hope that Fréchette would step in and reverse what Gray called “an idiotic decision.”
Maldoff added that a court proceeding in the middle of an election could perhaps even affect “the validity of the election itself.”
‘There’s no going back’ for Élections Québec
Élections Québec told CBC News that the agency presented its concerns over French-only mailouts to the commissioner of the French language “as early as 2023,” and during multiple meetings in 2025.
The agency reiterated on Thursday that it was “too late” to change its documents to include both languages.
“There is no going back on this election,” Élections Québec spokesperson Julie St-Arnaud-Drolet said in an emailed statement.
WATCH | Reaction from groups representing English speakers:
Élections Québec won’t mail voter information in English for the 1st time
Élections Québec says it will no longer mail voting information documents in English in order to comply with changes to the province’s language laws. English-speaking advocates worry the move could make it harder for some voters to access information, including where and when to vote.
Gray and Maldoff vehemently believe that reversing course on this issue would actually be fairly simple.
“I think they could have an English version tomorrow, and they could mail it out the day after tomorrow,” Gray said. “So the the idea that it’s become impossible … is another example of the high-handedness and the pettiness of the language attitudes.
“It’s time now to go back to the principles of the Charter … that all people are of equal worth.”