EMSB pleased with Bill 96 court ruling temporarily preventing provisions from coming into force

The English Montreal School Board is pleased to learn that a Quebec Superior Court judge has suspended parts of Bill 96, the new provincial language law.

Justice Chantal Corriveau suspended two sections of the law that will require any legal proceedings filed in English in Quebec to be accompanied by a French translation (Mitchell et al c PGQ, 500-17-121419-223).  A hearing on the merits of the case is expected be held in November.

“This is a very encouraging development,” said EMSB Chair Joe Ortona. “The present-day Quebec government has once again been told by the courts that it has  overstepped its bounds. This has already been the case for Bills 40 and 21 dealing with the abolition of school boards and secularism.”

The EMSB is contesting the validity of Bill 96 in court as well, including the very provisions suspended by the court today.

The EMSB’s contestation is based notably on s. 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s. 133 of the Constitution Act, 1867 and the amending formula of the Constitution.

About the English Montreal School Board

With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 77 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca.