Montreal, September 8, 2023 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is extremely disappointed with the Premier’s announcement today that his government will appeal the Bill 40 judgement.
The decision rendered on August 2nd by Superior Court Justice Sylvain Lussier was well-reasoned and thorough. In it, Justice Lussier affirmed in no uncertain terms the fundamental importance of minority language rights and found that much of Bill 40 infringes on the English speaking community’s constitutional rights to manage and control its education institutions.
“This was a strong judgement for our community and we are very disappointed that this government has decided to pursue an appeal of the entire judgement. This decision means that the onus continues to be on us to defend our Charter rights. Although this is a heavy burden, we are prepared to continue the fight to ensure that our rights are maintained for our community and the students we serve,” said QESBA President Dan Lamoureux.
QESBA is the voice of English public education in Québec and represents 100,000 students in over 300 elementary, high schools, and adult and vocational centres across Québec.