Good afternoon.
Thank you for the question.
We know that the program really has been used several times, and unfortunately with success, to challenge the Charter of the French Language, which, as you know, is one of Quebec's most important laws when it comes to defending its distinctive character. So this program was created for that, to be used for that. We know this. It is documented. Not only has that weakened Bill 101, but there is also every indication that the subsequent decline in French is directly related to this weakening of the act, as a particular effect of the judgments resulting from actions funded by this fund. So this fund, in my opinion, is directly connected with the increasing fragility of French.
The same thing is happening with the Act respecting the laicity of the State. We have been informed that the English Montreal School Board, the EMSB, has received money from this program, and this suggests that the fund will be used to finance groups that already have a lot of money. The EMSB has funds with millions of dollars. It is very well subsidized.
So it is not just small not-for-profit organizations, NPOs, or individuals who are less well off who benefit from the program. The EMSB is very wealthy. Should the cases where the program can provide funding not be limited solely to NPOs or individuals? That is another question.
These two cases, secularism and French, clearly illustrate that a lot of the time, this program is used to damage Quebec's interests and distinct character.
As a lawyer who is often involved in cases where my clients are defending Quebec's distinctiveness, we see that the other parties opposing us and opposing Quebec's distinct character have access to this program, which is not the case for my clients.
Apart from the appearance of partisanship that my colleagues have rightly raised, there is a problem, and the concrete results make it clear that there is a bias against Quebec in the cases funded by this program.