GATINEAU, QC, April 30, 2024 /CNW/ - Commissioner
of Official Languages for Canada Raymond Théberge issued the
following statement today at the tabling of his brief on Bill C–316
before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage:
"Parliamentarians are currently studying Bill C–316, which aims
to ensure the permanence of the Court Challenges Program (CCP) by
enshrining it in the Department of Canadian Heritage Act and
to provide a framework for its implementation.
The CCP provides financial support to Canadians to enable them
to bring cases of national importance before the courts to clarify
and assert certain constitutional and quasi–constitutional rights
relating to official languages and human rights.
The financial assistance provided under the program has
repeatedly contributed to the recognition and advancement of
language rights in Canada, as well
as to the vitality and development of official language minority
communities.
I'd like to mention two cases among many that demonstrate just
how essential it is to maintain the CCP. First, there's the
preservation of Montfort Hospital, Ontario's only French–language hospital and
the only hospital offering French–language education. Second,
there's the challenge to Bill 40, led by Quebec's English–speaking community to
guarantee the management of their school boards.
At this time, the program is not immune to possible revocation.
I'd therefore like to reiterate the undeniable importance of an
immutable, independently administered and transparent Court
Challenges Program.
I invite parliamentarians to lend their strong support to
the Court Challenges Program. By ensuring its permanence, we are
demonstrating the importance of equal access to the justice system,
a value we all share. We are also stabilizing a support mechanism
for the defence of language rights in this country."
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SOURCE Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages