Quebec’s Overhaul of Its Strict French Language Law Under Microscope at Hearings

Simon Jolin-Barrette, Quebec's minister responsible for the French language, speaks at the beginning of a legislature committee studying a proposed reform of the French language law, on Sept. 21, 2021, at the legislature in Quebec City. The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot

MONTREAL—Quebec’s proposed overhaul of its French-language charter is under the microscope at legislative hearings, with participants this week raising concerns about the bill’s effect on English speakers and the independence of the judiciary.

Tabled in May, Bill 96 is Quebec’s plan to upgrade Bill 101, the province’s French-language charter first adopted in 1977 by the government of René Lévesque.