'Stop scapegoating the English community in Quebec,' says Lametti in farewell speech to Parliament
CTV
In his farewell speech in Parliament, former Justice Minister David Lametti made a veiled critique of Premier François Legault's use of the notwithstanding clause for the language law known as Bill 96 and said that anglophones shouldn't be blamed for the status of French in Quebec.
In his farewell speech in Parliament, former Justice Minister David Lametti made a veiled critique of Premier François Legault's use of the notwithstanding clause for the language law known as Bill 96 and said that anglophones shouldn't be blamed for the status of French in Quebec.
Lametti, who was shuffled out of cabinet last July, announced last Thursday that he was stepping down as a Montreal MP.
"We need to work together. We all understand that protecting and nurturing the French language and culture in North America is very important. We need to work together to ensure they live on and flourish in the future," he said Tuesday in his speech to his fellow MPs.
"That means we need to stop scapegoating the English community in Quebec. People in this community are very bilingual and committed to Quebec; in many cases, they have been there for 300 years."
Lametti, a former law professor at McGill University, went on to say a few words about the Charter of Rights of Freedoms.
"I have to say that the Charter is not optional, and the preventive use of the Charter suggests that the Charter is optional," he said, appearing to reference Legault's preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause to shield Bill 96 in its entirety from legal challenges.
"At some point," he continued, "we need to understand that constitutional change will be necessary, and we need to prepare for that."
