An Élections Québec poll worker told CTV News that they were instructed to speak English only in certain situations with voters ahead of voting in Quebec’s general election. The poll worker, who was granted anonymity to protect their job, provided CTV News with the Élections Québec directive. According to the directive, poll workers can only speak to voters in English if they have an English eligibility certificate or if they are Indigenous. The poll worker said they have worked in municipal, provincial and federal polls for the past 35 years and it is the first time they encountered this directive. “It floored me when I read it, I could not believe it,” they told CTV News. “It’s scary that they have this much control. What’s going to happen next?” The Élections Québec document, provided to CTV News, gives poll workers sample questions to determine whether they can communicate with a voter in English. The two sample questions listed are: “Have you been declared eligible to get an education in English?” and “Are you a member of the Native community?” If a voter responds yes to either of these questions, the document states that the poll worker can speak to them in English. If a voter responds no, the poll worker must tell the voter they will continue speaking to them in French in order to respect the Charter of the French Language. Poll workers are also advised to tell voters that they can repeat what was said in French if the voter does not understand. “It seems to me that we just have to ask (if they have the English eligibility certificate). I don’t think they actually have to have it. I think as long as they say yes, we can speak English, so it’s not like we’re going to check,” the poll worker said. “If we’re speaking to an anglophone or someone who prefers to English, I just assumed that we have the right to speak to them in English.” In a statement to CTV News, Élections Québec said that under the Charter of the French Language, staff must ensure that voters have the right to communicate with them in English. “That said, we rely on the person’s statement and do not require any certification or other proof,” Élections Québec wrote. It further stated that its role is to enforce Quebec’s language laws. “For our part, we are applying the provisions of this Charter for the first time, since we were not subject to them prior to the passage of Bill 96—Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French.” The poll worker said they were concerned about the directives, which they said could potentially create barriers for voters or dissuade them from voting. “Some people may not understand the process, like people who are new to the province or who just turned 18,” they said. “If they don’t understand the process, it will be frustrating for them and turn them off and a lot of people aren’t voting anymore (...) This is just creating a rift between people.” French-only voter information cards This comes after a Quebec Superior Court judge ordered Élections Québec to send out voter reminder cards in both French and English, suspending the language law that prevented the agency from doing so until the election on Oct. 5. A lawsuit was filed in early September after French-only mailouts were sent with details on where and how to vote because of Quebec language law, Bill 96. Élections Québec said it had always sent out election documents in both languages and had requested an exemption from the language law to continue the practice. The request was denied by Quebec’s Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, and the Commissioner of the French Language, Benoît Dubreuil.
