New federalist Quebec party to focus on bilingualism, minority rights

The founders of a new federalist party say they plan to field candidates in the next Quebec provincial election, to fill what they call a "gaping void" in Quebec politics when it comes to minority rights, including anglophone language rights.

The group behind the Canadian Party of Quebec, led by spokesperson Colin Standish, made the announcement in a news release late Monday, stating it wants to offer a voice to Quebec voters who "feel betrayed and abandoned by the CAQ and the Quebec Liberal Party."

Standish, a Université de Sherbrooke law graduate, launched a group called the Exploratory Committee on Political Options to examine whether there was enough support for a new political party, following his work with a task force opposed to the Coalition Avenir Québec government's proposed language legislation, Bill 96.

While the protection of minority language rights is one of his new party's founding principles, Standish believes the Canadian Party of Quebec will have appeal beyond the anglophone community.

"We need a progressive federalist option that is resolute in its defence of human rights and freedoms, of language rights and also constructing a narrative that can unite all Quebecers — English, French speaker, newcomer and Indigenous, in common cause," Standish said in an interview Tuesday.

The party will officially launch in the next month, he said.

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The Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ) is just the latest to target disaffected anglophone and minority voters, after former Montreal mayoral candidate Balarama Holness announced his plan to create a party called Mouvement Québec.

Like Mouvement Québec, the CaPQ is staunchly opposed to both Bill 96 and the law known as Bill 21, which bans the wearing of religious symbols by civil servants in positions of authority. 

The CaPQ said it would push to abolish those two pieces of legislation, as well as the law passed as Bill 40, which eliminated most school boards in the province and converted them to service centres.

The party would also advocate for the removal of the notwithstanding clause from the Canadian constitution, which the CAQ government used pre-emptively to protect Bill 21 from Charter challenges — a move that a Quebec Superior Court judge called "excessive" and "troubling."

While Standish would not say whether CaPQ is in favour of repealing Quebec's Charter of the French language, he said several of the party's founding principles are in opposition to aspects of Bill 101.

The party believes all government services should be provided in French and English, that "newcomers settling in Quebec must have their Canadian official language of choice respected" and that all Quebecers, regardless of mother tongue, have the right to send their children to school in the language of their choice.

While Standish denounced these CAQ policies, he is also taking aim at the Official Opposition, which he accuses of not doing enough to support minority rights.