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The party will oppose recent CAQ legislation, such as Bill 21 on state secularism and Bill 40 on the abolition of school boards.
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April 26, 2022 • 1 minute ago • 3 minutes reading • 18 comments Colin Standish launched a political party in Quebec to defend federalism, human rights and to speak on behalf of the English-speaking population of Quebec. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette
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Quebec – A group of English-speaking Quebecers struggling with language change has decided to take the battle to the next level by creating a new political party.
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The Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ) will begin work in time for the October general election, a study commission examining options for the past few months said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Yes, the Canadian Party of Quebec (Parti canadien du Québec) will be an unexcused federalist party that works tirelessly for minority rights, socio-economic justice and linguistic harmony,” said party spokesman Colin Standish.
The party, the second in two weeks to be announced with a focus on minority rights, will be based on six principles, the statement said:
The principles will be “rights are rights are rights, respect for the integrity of the Canadian constitution, bilingualism, educational choice, prosperity for all Quebecers and cohesion and reconciliation.”
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The group says it intends to challenge what it describes as Quebec’s political orthodoxy and proposes to “fill the void” felt by minority voters following the revision of language legislation in the National Assembly (Bill 96) and Ottawa.
“The time has come to offer a voice to the voiceless,” especially Quebec residents, who feel betrayed and abandoned by the Avenir Québec coalition and the Quebec Liberal Party, “Standish said.
Standish said the party would resume its official launch in mid-May, but is in the process of registering with Elections Québec. Last week, former Montreal mayoral candidate Balarama Holnes made a similar statement, pledging to form a party dedicated to Montreal and minorities. His party will be called Mouvement Québec.
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Standish, a language activist from the Eastern Towns, did not say how many candidates he intends to nominate for the October 3rd vote, but said he is already raising funds and discussing with potential people. Like Holnes, the party is expected to focus on liberal-controlled riding with a significant minority of voters.
Quebec has 21 political parties, including the big four: the CAQ, the Liberal Party, the Québec Soldaire and the Parti Québécois. The latter party is potentially creating problems for the Liberals, who have felt the reaction to the decision to approve the creation of three CEGEP French to English courses.
The Liberals are trying to reverse this policy, which they inserted into Bill 96 during the consideration of the bill clause by clause.
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Minority groups are organizing a rally to protest the plan and other parts of Bill 96. The rally will take place on May 14 in Montreal.
The party will oppose other recent CAQ laws, such as Bill 21 on state secularism and Bill 40 on the abolition of school boards, Standish said.
According to the statement of principles, the party is “deeply committed to the protection of human rights, civil liberties and equality in the official language” in Canada.
“He will defend the constitutional protection of all Quebecers, including those who directly affect the English-speaking community,” the political document said. “He will seek to restore the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a fundamental law of Quebec.
The group claims that the Canadian constitution is fully implemented in Quebec and firmly believes in bilingualism. It claims that French and English are official languages in Quebec. Quebec’s official language is French, but the group disputes that.
And this is directly in favor of freedom of choice when it comes to the language of education, including immigrants.
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pauthier@postmedia.com
twitter.com/philipauthier
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