AFNQL and FNEC joint legal action
On April 20, 2023, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) and the First Nations Education Council (FNEC) filed a legal challenge before the Superior Court of Quebec, District of Quebec. Having undertaken several awareness-raising efforts with various provincial government ministries and officials over the past two years, the AFNQL and FNEC’s legal challenge emphasizes that provisions of Quebec’s Charter of the French Language infringe upon the inherent rights to self-determination and self-government in matters of education, as well as on their inherent language rights.
Specifically, the action alleges that the challenged sections of the Charter of the French Language constitute barriers to the academic success of Indigenous learners from kindergarten to post-secondary education, to access regulated professions, to the preservation of Aboriginal languages, and to the exercise of the right to self-determination and self-government by First Nations in education.
For its part, the Attorney General of Quebec (representing the defendant in this action) has appealed the AFNQL and FNEC’s legal challenge. Further judicial steps and deadlines will follow shortly.
|