Language politics retake centre stage in NDG-Westmount byelection | CBC News

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Alex Montagano walked along Avenue King Edward in Montreal, knocking on doors to make his pitch.

Montagano is not a traditional federal election candidate. His campaign materials show him in a conductor’s uniform — a nod to his passion for trains — and he stamps his fliers with a ticket punch.

He’s running in Monday’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount byelection under the banner of the Centrist Party of Canada, a party that has never elected a federal candidate.

But Montagano — or “Trainman,” as he identifies himself to voters — said a vote for him is a protest vote, intended to send a message to the Liberal Party of Canada.

And while trains may be his passion, his political interests include language rights for English-speaking Quebecers — something he feels is under threat.

“We’re brought up with this idea, this concept that Canada was open, that it is a free society,” he said.

“This idea of what Canada is is dying in Quebec. It’s being attacked.”

On a walk around the neighborhood, his cri de coeur resonates with residents. Many of them raised language as the issue that worries them the most, after recent pieces of provincial and federal legislation ratcheted up tensions in Quebec’s English-speaking community.

“I think language is one of the biggest problems,” said first-time voter Thomas Donnelly. “To get a job, you really have to be perfectly bilingual … It really makes it hard for people to feel included in this province.”

C-13, Bill 96 and the Liberals

The riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount is considered to be a Liberal stronghold.

It’s also the heartland of anglophone Montreal. According to census data, about 44 per cent of residents list English as their mother tongue.

It was held by Liberal member of Parliament Marc Garneau until he resigned last spring.

While the riding’s boundaries have changed over time, the area has consistently elected Liberal candidates since the 1990s.

The Liberal candidate this time, Anna Gainey, is a former party president. Her father, Bob Gainey, played for the Montreal Canadiens and went on to become their general manager. She was not made available for an interview.

But in recent months, groups representing English-speaking Quebecers, including the Quebec Community Groups Network, have been expressing concern about a bill introduced by the federal Liberal government, C-13, which is a revamp of the Official Languages Act. The bill passed the Senate earlier this week.

The bill aims to strengthen French in Canada, inside and outside of Quebec.

But some groups representing English-speaking Quebecers have expressed concerns about the bill’s repeated references to Quebec’s French Language Charter — which some fear could be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of a recent tightening of provincial language laws in Quebec through Bill 96.

Bill 96 introduced an overhaul of language laws that includes a stricter definition of who qualifies for English-language services, increased powers for the province’s language watchdog, a cap on the English-language colleges known as CEGEPs, and more.

“There’s a definite worry,” said Jonathan Pedneault, Green Party co-leader and candidate in the byelection.

“People feel like they are being treated as second class citizens and I understand that concern.”

Concerns about tacit approval

It also invokes the notwithstanding clause — a section in the Charter of Rights that gives provincial governments the ability to override parts of the charter — to shield the law from court challenges. 

All of this has left the English-speaking community on edge, said former senator and editor-in-chief of the Montreal Gazette Joan Fraser.

“We have been accustomed for a while to the notion that the Quebec government’s policies tend not to be very helpful to us, but that the federal government gave us equal standing in law,” she told CBC News.

“Now there’s a sense, not unjustified, that the federal government is more interested in getting along with the Quebec government than protecting us.”

But residents hoping to park their vote with another, non-Liberal party don’t have a clear choice either. 

C-13 passed through the House of Commons almost unanimously. Only Liberal MP Anthony Housefather voted against it. 

WATCH: Liberal MP explains why he voted against his government’s language bill

Montreal-area Liberal MP on why he voted against the Trudeau government’s minority languages bill

Anthony Housefather was the lone MP to vote against bill C-13, the Trudeau government’s controversial minority language reform

He said he’s worried the references in a federal bill to Quebec’s French Language Charter could undermine legal challenges to Bill 96, some of which are already underway.

“I’m not saying that there’s a substantial risk or a huge risk, but I think there’s a moderate risk. And I prefer not to take a moderate risk to my community’s right to be served in English federally,” he said. 

Federal Minister of Official Languages Ginette Petitpas Taylor has said repeatedly that C-13 will not adversely affect English-speaking Quebecers.

Her ministry also pledged $2.5 million to support the community’s arts and culture sector.

Despite the reassurance, voters like Doug Karpman said C-13 and Bill 96 are top of mind for many people in this byelection.

“I would say that’s the only issue I’ve ever even heard discussed in the byelection,” he said. “People are worried about their minority rights within the English community.”