The Quebec government is moving ahead with a controversial part of its proposed language bill, which will require all government officials to communicate with new immigrants exclusively in French, six months after their arrival — with no exceptions for refugees and asylum seekers.
The article of Bill 96, which was introduced at the National Assembly last May, was recently adopted in the legislative committee studying the bill, amid criticism from opposition Liberal and Québec Solidaire MNAs.
Some organizations, opposition members and even the union representing public servants tried to persuade the government to soften the rule, to no avail.
“For newly arriving immigrants, the basic principle
