PQ government to table bill restricting access to English-language CEGEPs — but will it pass?

Next year will mark half a century since the adoption of Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, and the Parti Québécois (PQ) government intends to mark the milestone by reforming the law, says Pascal Bérubé, the minister of the French language.

Bérubé reminded reporters at the National Assembly on Wednesday that 2027 will see the PQ government table a bill to further protect French. The legislation would include “strong” measures, such as restricting English-language CEGEPs, or junior colleges, to students who are legally eligible to study in English.

“We are counting on everybody to make sure that the French language still has vitality and is there forever,” Bérubé said.

As a minority government, the PQ would need the support of at least one opposition party to adopt legislation.

Quebec’s French Language Charter mandates that children of francophones or allophones attend French-language elementary and high schools when enrolled in the public education network, with only those who qualify for a certificate of eligibility for instruction in English being exempted.

Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has openly shared his support for extending these eligibility restrictions to Quebec’s English-language CEGEP network, a plan that was also included in the PQ’s electoral platform.

Bérubé repeated that the government intends to support the renewal of the notwithstanding clause on Bill 96, Quebec’s language law, which is set to expire next June.

The notwithstanding clause allows provincial governments to enact legislation that limits sections of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms for a maximum of five years, unless renewed by legislators.

WATCH | PQ plans to table 2 bills:

Here’s how Quebec plans to ramp up protection of French language

Quebec’s minister of the French language, Pascal Bérubé, is throwing a curveball at the Liberals. He plans to table two bills in the coming months: one renewing the notwithstanding clause to shield Bill 96 from court challenges, and another to boost the protection of the language.

Respecting Quebecers’ freedom of choice

Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime said his party would not support a measure forcing adults to study in a specific language, particularly when current laws already require francophones and allophones to attend public schools in French.

“Adults should make their own decisions,” Duhaime said. “We do believe that you cannot oblige adults to go to an institution in the language of the choice of the government.”

Students typically begin CEGEP courses after graduating from high school at 17, with pre-university and technical programs lasting between two and three years.

For the Quebec Liberals, restricting access to English-language CEGEPs would not increase the number of French speakers or help French flourish in the province, says Madwa-Nika Cadet, the party’s critic for the French language, francization and integration.

“What it does is prevent francophones and allophones from frequenting higher-learning institutions in the language of their choice at a moment when they are already French speakers,” Cadet said in an interview with CBC’s Quebec AM on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Québec Solidaire confirmed on Wednesday that the party is against applying the Charter at the CEGEP level, noting that it respects adults’ freedom of choice.