The Clarence-Rockland City Council unanimously passed a motion to secure its French-language services. The measure, now enshrined in a municipal by-law, imposes active offer, which means that French-language services must be offered from the first contact.
Councillor Trevor Stewart, who initiated the motion, explains that this approach stems from the decline in French observed in the 2021 census, where there was a 14.8% drop in the number of unilingual Francophones in five years. ACFO Prescott-Russell welcomes this decision, which reinforces the bilingual character of the city and confirms the right of Francophones to receive services in their language.
Political scientist Frédéric Bérard reminds us that a regulation has the force of law and sends a strong signal in favour of the protection of French in minority settings.