Longueuil Mayor Criticized for Comments on Councilor’s Use of English

Up to this day language continues to be a controversial issue in Quebec and the mayor of a city in the province is receiving so much flak from her comments regarding the use of English by a city councilor during a meeting.

The mayor of Longueuil, Caroline St-Hilaire, received so much backlash from netizens after she posted comments on her Facebook page complaining about opposition leader Councilor Robert Myles’ habit of translating everything he said in French into English during their council meetings.

Sole Francophone province

Quebec is the only province in Canada where majority of the residents speak French. It is also the only province in the country where French is the one and only official language. The population of Quebec used to be bilingual until 1974 when Premier Robert Bourassa, head of the Quebec Liberal Party approved Bill 22, making French the province’s official language. When the Parti Quebecois was first elected in 1976, it introduced Bill 101 or the Charter of the French Language, making French the commonly used language in the province. At that time, the language of business was still English.

Mayor St-Hilaire used to be a Bloc Quebecois MP.

Strong stance

The Longueuil city mayor said in another Facebook post that she would not be intimidated by the online comments she had received after posting her irritation over Councilor Myles on Tuesday.

Police are now investigating some of the comments she had received, as there were some threats included in the more than 800 comments that were posted. Some of the commenters sided with her while others were hateful and disrespectful. In response to these comments, she said that she is steadfast in her beliefs and will continue to serve her constituents and at the same time protect the language of the province.

Bilingualism

Councilor Robert Myles belongs to a handful of opposition members in Longueuil. He came from the Greenfield Park, which was a bilingual area where a large population of English speakers reside. He has the habit of translating everything he said in French into English for those watching online and for those who are in attendance.

There had been no complaints before. It was only in May, when a member of the mayor’s party asked the Speaker to impose Bill 101 that the language issue was brought up. However, the Speaker said that as long as French is spoken first, bilingual interventions are allowed.

In an interview, Myles said that he respects Bill 101 but clarified that he would continue to speak in French and in English to support his bilingual community. He also said that online bullying, which is what is happening right now to the mayor, is wrong and should not be tolerated. He said politicians are used to receiving nasty comments but threats on a person’s life should not be dismissed.

Mayor St-Hilaire’s post on Thursday was tamer. She reiterated that French is the language used in Longueuil, language was not an issue in the city and that the citizens have always been served fairly.