French is Quebec’s only official language, Nadeau-Dubois says
QS spokesperson says Massé’s remarks a result of her ‘challenges with English’
There is only one official language in Quebec, Québec solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois clarified on Friday.
Parti Québécois leaders JeanFrançois Lisée and Véronique Hivon expressed outrage after Québec solidaire said on Twitter that English was also an official language in Quebec.
“It is very worrisome to see Québec solidaire’s position on the status of French as the only common language in Quebec. It’s completely alarming,” Hivon said.
Lisée added that English is “an important language,” that of Quebec’s “main minority.” Quebecers want to learn English, but it is not an official language, he said.
Québec solidaire tweeted from its official account on Thursday: “English is an official language of Quebec and Canada.”
Party spokesperson Manon Massé reiterated that remark on Thursday, speaking in both English and French.
“What I am saying is that since we are currently in Canada, English is an official language in Quebec,” Massé said.
But on Friday, Nadeau-Dubois attributed the tweet to a staff member’s inexperience with social media.
As for Massé’s comments, she was struggling to express herself in English, Nadeau-Dubois said.
“It’s strictly a mistake,” he said during a press conference on Friday in Montreal, in which the party presented its campaign posters.
There is no ambiguity for Québec solidaire, Nadeau-Dubois said. It is “obvious” that there is only one official language in Quebec, he added.
“Manon was answering a question that was first asked in English. You know Manon’s challenges with English. Her answer was not clear. It caused confusion and, later, she was still in that confusion. But a few minutes later, she corrected it,” Nadeau-Dubois said.
“Of course in Québec solidaire, everyone knows that Quebec has only one official language: French. The Canadian state has two official languages. And what Manon was trying to say is that the day Quebec becomes independent, we can even better protect the French language,” he said.
In the campaign posters Québec solidaire unveiled on Friday, the party focused on themes of free tuition for higher education, cultural diversity, opposition to fossil fuels, public transportation and one month of vacation for all.
What Manon was trying to say is that the day Quebec becomes independent, we can even better protect the French language.