Official Language Act (Quebec)
The Official Language Act of 1974 (French Loi sur la langue officielle), also known as Bill 22, was an act of the National Assembly of Quebec which made French the sole official language of Quebec, a province of Canada. It was ultimately supplanted by the Charter of the French Language (also known as Bill 101) in 1977.
The legislation was drafted in an attempt to follow the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry on the Situation of the French Language and Linguistic Rights in Quebec. The act made French the official language in a number of areas:
- Language of commercial signing (the use of French was required)
- Language of labour relations and business (businesses wanting to deal with the state had to apply for francization programs)
- Language of instruction (English language public school was restricted to children who had a "sufficient" knowledge of this language)
- Language of legislation and justice (priority was given to French texts in case of ambiguity)
Read more about Official Language Act (Quebec): Objections To Bill 22
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