Bill 63, formally the "Law to promote the French language in Quebec" (), was a
language law passed in 1969 in
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
[Marc Levine. ]
The Reconquest Of Montreal: Language Policy and Social Change in a Bilingual City
'. Temple University Press; 7 August 1991. . p. 79–.
Background
In the 1960s, the government of Quebec commissioned a report about the state of the French language in the province. The report showed that in some areas of the province, residents who spoke only French had difficulty finding employment and doing everyday business.
Montreal: The History of a North American City
'. MQUP; 6 April 2018. . p. 1–. As a result, plans were begun to form a committee, called the
Gendron Commission, to make recommendations for promoting the use of French in Quebec.
When the Catholic school board of
Saint Leonard, Quebec
Saint-Leonard ( ; ) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formerly a separate city, it was amalgamated into the city of Montreal in 2002. The former city was originally called Saint-Leonard de Port Maurice after Leonard ...
, insisted for children of immigrants, mostly
Italians
Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...
, to be required to go to French schools, controversy and violence erupted. In response, the
Union Nationale government of
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand (; June 20, 1916 – February 22, 1973) was a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the 21st premier of Quebec, from October 2, 1968, to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale (Quebec), Union Nationale party.
Me ...
passed Bill 63 without waiting for the Gendron Commission's report.
Details
Section 2 of the bill allowed all residents of Quebec an English-language education for anyone desiring it for their children. That right was known as "freedom of choice."
[Charles Boberg. ]
The English Language in Canada: Status, History and Comparative Analysis
'. Cambridge University Press; 26 August 2010. . p. 8–.[John Mallea. ]
Cultural Diversity and Canadian Education: Issues and Innovations
'. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP; 15 April 1984. . p. 170–.
The law also promoted the French language:
*The Ministry of Education was to ensure that students graduating from English schools in Quebec had a working knowledge of French.
*French courses were to be available to all students enrolled in Quebec schools.
[Joshua A. Fishman. ]
Reversing Language Shift: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Assistance to Threatened Languages
'. Multilingual Matters; 1 January 1991. . p. 303–.
*The Ministry of Education was to make French courses available to all immigrants entering Quebec.
*The mandate of the
Office québécois de la langue française
The (, OQLF; ) is an agency of the Quebec provincial government charged with ensuring legislative requirements with respect to the right to use French are respected.
Established on 24 March 1961 by the Liberal government of Jean Lesage, the ...
was extended.
Aftermath
Bill 63 fell short of the expectations of many francophones, such as many
Quebec nationalists, who expected that French would become the common public language of all Quebec residents. Their main criticism of the law was that it allowed all Quebec residents to send their children to either English or French schools.
[Sean Mills. ]
The Empire Within: Postcolonial Thought and Political Activism in Sixties Montreal
'. MQUP; 26 March 2010. . p. 172–. Opposition to the law led to the coalition
Mouvement Québec français.
Montreal: The History of a North American City
'. MQUP; 6 April 2018. . p. 1–.
In 1974, the
Liberal government of
Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just ...
superseded the act by the ''
Official Language Act''.
See also
*
Official Languages Act of Canada
*
Legal dispute over Quebec's language policy
*
Office québécois de la langue française
The (, OQLF; ) is an agency of the Quebec provincial government charged with ensuring legislative requirements with respect to the right to use French are respected.
Established on 24 March 1961 by the Liberal government of Jean Lesage, the ...
*
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution () was a period of socio-political and socio-cultural transformation in French Canada, particularly in Quebec, following the 1960 Quebec general election. This period was marked by the secularization of the government, the ...
*
Language policy
Language policy is both an interdisciplinary academic field and implementation of ideas about language use.
Some scholars such as Joshua Fishman and Ofelia García consider it as part of sociolinguistics. On the other hand, other scholars such as ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Act to promote the French language in Québec
Quebec provincial legislation
Quebec language policy
French language in Quebec
Canadian language legislation
1969 in Quebec
1969 in Canadian law