Deux-Montagnes, June 1st 2023 – The City of Deux-Montagnes, like all municipalities in Quebec, is under obligation to comply with the legal requirements of the Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec (Bill 96), which come into force June 1st. Among other things, the amendments to this Act require municipalities to exclusively use French in their communications, with exceptions, in particular in emergency situations where the health or safety of citizens is compromised.
Henceforth, only municipalities with bilingual city status will be allowed to retain the right to communicate in writing to their citizens in both French and English. Although the City of Deux-Montagnes has always had the majority of its written communications (press releases, municipal bulletin, newsletter, leaflets, etc.) translated for its Anglophone population, the City has never been officially recognized as bilingual. Moreover, with a proportion of some 15% of citizens whose first language is English (according to the 2021 Census of Population), the City of Deux-Montagnes does not meet the requirements to obtain this status. In order to qualify for this status, the proportion of the Anglophone population of a municipality must be greater than 50%.
“ Under Bill 96, the municipal administration must manage the new legal obligations which cannot be circumvented. However, we are well aware that the changes imposed by the provincial government will inconvenience the English-speaking community of the territory. French and English have always coexisted in Deux-Montagnes and I sincerely hope that our two linguistic communities will continue to coexist in harmony despite these changes in practice,” said Mayor Denis Martin, concerned about the impact of the coming into force of the new legal provisions.
Amendments
In order to comply with its obligations under theCharter of the French language, the City of Deux-Montagnes will immediately amend its written communication practices for the public. Specifically:
- The various publications produced by the City will offer content exclusively in French.
- The City’s newsletter will be written and distributed exclusively in French.
- Automated system (SAM) telephone messages will be recorded exclusively in French, with the exception of emergency situations where the health or safety of citizens is compromised.
- The content of its website will no longer be systematically translated into English.
About the modernization of the Charter of the French language
For more information on the new legal obligations, citizens can consult the government website at www.quebec.ca/languedeservice
For more information on French learning services, the population is invited to consult the Francisation Québec website.
