A group of Quebécois will appear in court to argue that Mary Simon is not fluent in French and should invalidate her appointment as governor.
The group, led by historian Frederick Bastian, is seeking a confirmatory decision from the Quebec High Court stating that Simon’s appointment violates the provisions of the Charter, which declares Canada to be bilingual.
Former Parti Québécois leader candidate says choosing a governor who does not speak one of the official languages of the country is an insult to Francophone and a signal that bilingualism is not important.
His group relies on New Brunswick case law, and French-speaking Acadians recently challenged the appointment of an English-speaking vice-governor for similar reasons.
In April, the judge ruled that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had violated constitutional language protection when he appointed Brenda Murphy, but the judge added that withdrawing the nomination would pose a constitutional crisis.
Simon spoke English and Inuktitut and promised to learn French, but Bastian said the government should have chosen one of several qualified indigenous candidates who speak both official languages. say.
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