(Quebec) Quebec does not want to use its bill 96 on the protection of the French language to give special status to mother tongues. The First Nations Assembly in Quebec and Labrador believe that the reform of the Legalt government “violates” the rights of the first nations.
A new controversy is developing between the Legalt government and the AFNQL. On Friday, Ian Lafrinier, the minister in charge of tribal affairs, noted that there were other options besides Bill 96 for the protection and preservation of indigenous languages in Quebec.
“Before we put forward our intention to change the law, my colleague [Simon Jolin-Barrette] By contacting both Makivik and APNLQ, we have a position in the sense that we do not want to change the position [des langues autochtones] Or some progress has been lost, ”he said on Friday.
Special consultations on this smooth reform of Bill 101 are set to begin next week in the National Assembly. The AFNQL, which brings together 43 tribal leaders from the province, will make a brief submission on Tuesday. The Mohawk community in Kansatak will participate in the exercise on October 7.
“The Legal government’s Bill 96 is a systematic attack on the constitutional language rights of nations,” Chief Kislon Picard wrote in a statement issued when invited by federal leaders to discuss the reforms proposed by Minister Simon Joel Barrett. September 2.
When Bill 96 was filed, AFNQL Legalt issued a warning to the government: “The survival and development of one language should not spoil another.”
Minister Lafrinier explained on Friday that he was “discussing” with the first countries to improve the protection and preservation of indigenous languages. Speaking at a press conference on the implementation of the recommendations of the Vienna Commission, he said, “The language issue is important.
“So making sure languages are alive is a challenge [les langues autochtones] As an official language, this is one of the features. There are other possibilities and that is what we are going to explore, ”he added.
“I can not say how it will work, but it’s really important,” Mr Lafranier said.
APNLQ does not ask for native languages to be recognized as official languages.
Minister Lafrinier assures us that Bill 96 will not compromise on the “improvements” made over the years and will continue to provide services in English on health care and social services.
“You know we have the same goal when we talk about the various countries in Quebec and the region: we want to preserve our culture and our language,” explained Minister Lafrenier.
Follow the Commission
Two years after the report was submitted, Minister Lafrinier on Friday announced the progress of the implementation of the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations on relations between Indigenous peoples and some public services in Quebec (Vienna Commission).
Despite some improvements, the Minister acknowledges that a majority of work needs to be done: the number of ongoing recommendations has increased from 51 to 68 in one year. Minister Lafrinier asked people to avoid a simple “mathematical” calculation, so improving relations with the tribe is a “community project”.
He added that some suggestions, such as apologizing to the tribal people, were quick and easy, while others required legislative changes or discussions with the federal government. In addition, the minister noted that the things allotted to him to do 125 things out of 200 million have already been done.
The Native Affairs Secretariat will make its progress public on its website. The Ombudsperson, Mary Rinfred, has already stated that she will follow up on the implementation of the recommendations of the Wyans Commission.
At this point, Mr. Lafrenier, along with leaders of thirty tribal communities, says they have identified three priorities for the future, namely youth protection, women’s well-being and education. In his final report, released in 2019, retired Judge Jack Vince made 142 recommendations.
With the Canadian Press
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