English Montreal School Board applauds court decision on French-language law

File photo of English Montreal School Board.

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is celebrating after winning a pair of legal decisions in its fight against Quebec's French-language law: Bill 96.

The EMSB responded on Monday after the Quebec Court of Appeal rejected a CAQ challenge to the April Superior Court ruling that exempted the English school board from certain sections of the French Language Charter.

Justice Genevieve Marcotte's decision came down on Friday.

"The fact that the Charter of the French Language requires English school boards to communicate exclusively in French when interacting with other English-speaking community organizations, including the QESBA  and the English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec, never made any sense," said EMSB chair Joe Ortona in a news release. "I am pleased to see this injunction remain in place while we await a trial on the merits of the case."

In addition, the EMSB's Court of Appeal request to challenge the Superior Court's decision that said the term school service centres applied to school boards was granted.

"We are English school boards, not school service centres like the French sector," said Ortona. "It was important to once again make this abundantly clear.  Even  the Office québécois de la langue française and the Attorney General of Quebec’s lawyer acknowledged that there were legal inaccuracies in the judge’s analysis on the question."

Quebec's Bill 40 (An Act to amend mainly the Education Act with regard to school organization and governance) created French school service centres and aimed to transform English school boards into similar entities.

Seven of the eight English boards and the Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA) have joined the legal case.

Ortona said that the EMSB continues to "embrace the French language" and that it has pioneered the French immersion program.