Public hearings on Quebec's controversial Bill 14 wrap up

After a month of polarized discussion on wherethe direction of language laws should be headed in the province, public hearingson Quebecs controversial Bill 14 wrap up today.

When the hearings began, Language Minister Diane De Courcy, said she wasprepared to listen with an open mind. Now that Quebecers have had theirsay,the government will have to decide whether or not to proceed withthe billthat would strengthen the Charter of the French Language.

Yesterday, officials from English-language CGEPs took the floor.

Richard Filion, the director general of Dawson College, told a special committee at the national assembly that the bill was discriminatory.

"Anglophones don't want to be kept away from rest of Quebec society. They want to interact with them, to live together," he said.

'Theyre creating unnecessary tensions based on linguistic preferences that arent fair' Nicholas Di Penna, Dawson Student Union

If passed, the bill would require English-language CGEPs like Dawson to give priority to anglophones over francophones.

Filion said that would only create divides between francophones and anglophones in the higher-education system. He says it wouldnt be fair to favour one group of students over another.

Dawson's students voiced concerns as well.

"It seems like a very slippery slope," said director of external affairs for the Dawson Student Union, Nicholas Di Penna.

"Theyre creating unnecessary tensions based on linguistic preferences that arent fair," he said.

Another part of Bill 14 would only grant CGEP diplomas to students living in Quebec who have a government-approved level of spoken and written French.

Filion says that would set up a double-standard by forcing English-speaking students to take an extra test. He is asking the government to retract that part of the bill.

'Official language is not a human right'

On Tuesday the government also heard from the Quebec Human Rights Commission.

The commission criticized the bills proposed changes to Quebecs Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which would designate the use of an official language as a "human right."

The commissions president, Gatan Cousineau, told the committee that official languages are not considered human rights around the world.

'Are democratic values and Quebec values similar, or identical?' Gatan Cousineau,Quebec Human Rights Commission

He said both Quebecs charter and the Canadian Constitution already cover language rights, and that most of the rights Bill 14 is meant to protect are already addressed in existing legislation.

"The official language is not a human right," he said.

Cousineau said Bill 14 would, in some instances, replace "democratic values" with "Quebec values" a small change that would prompt big questions.

"Are democratic values and Quebec values similar, or identical?" he asked.

As a minority government, the Parti Qubcois will have to gain support from at least one of the opposition parties in order to pass Bill 14.

The Liberals and the Coalition Avenir Qubec have both said they plan to oppose the bill in its current state.