Quebec says Montreal shouldn’t have cited language law when it refused space for English book club

The Quebec government says its new language law does not prevent people from holding book club meetings in English in public libraries after a recent incident in Montreal.

Author Christopher DiRaddo had requested space for his monthly book club meetings at the Bibliothèque Père-Ambroise on Visitation Street in Montreal’s Village last week.

He was told it wouldn’t be possible since the room he requested was already booked, but there was an issue with the library’s email response that caught him off guard and raised eyebrows. The library manager told him that it couldn’t grant his request also because of Quebec’s Law 14, which was known as Bill 96 before it came into effect.

The library’s email, a copy of which was provided to CTV News, said the law “requires us to program activities to be held mainly in French. Conversation in both languages (French and English) could take place, but citizens wishing to express themselves in French should be able to do so, and we should ensure that all conversations in English are translated.”

DiRaddo, host of the Violet Hour Reading Series, said his group welcomes francophones and anglophones alike and that he welcomes discussion in both languages, but providing simultaneous translation would not be feasible.

CTV News asked the province for clarification on the law. A spokesperson for the office of the Minister responsible for the French language, Jean-François Roberge, said the law should not have been applied.

“Since the book club is only looking for a place to hold its activities, without providing services to the public for a municipal body, it is not covered by the government’s duty to set an example. The Charter therefore does not apply in this situation,” wrote Thomas Verville.

DiRaddo said Wednesday he was pleased to get confirmation that what he had requested was within the bounds of the law but stressed that it shows there is still some ambiguity around how it should be applied.

“One of the reasons I was given was that it was the ‘spirit’ of the law. So, what is that spirit? To me, it felt like a spirit of exclusion. Like, your book club is not welcome here. I’m kind of curious. Is that what people think of this law? How other people think of this law and will this lead to other situations in the future without that clarity,” he said in an interview.

“I’d love to live in a city where libraries want to provide services in English to English readers. I kind of think of reading as an act of empathy and I feel like the decision I got was the opposite of that.”

Language law was ‘hastily invoked,’ city says

CTV News has asked the city whether it will no longer cite the language law for future booking requests from English speakers. In an email Wednesday afternoon, a city spokesperson said, “In this particular case, the reference to Bill 14 was indeed hastily invoked.”

The statement went on to say that, “Nevertheless, the City reiterates its values of inclusion and diversity. When a library makes its activity rooms available, it wants anyone wishing to express themselves in French to be able to take part in the activity in question and have access to a free and informal version of the discussions. This ensures that everyone can participate fully and feel included.”

Meanwhile, the Quebec Writers' Federation says it’s happy that the government has provided clarification so that this issue doesn’t happen again.

“This is a group that is working with local English literature as well as local French literature. And they’re building bridges between those communities. And to see them denied a public space is disappointing,” said John Wickham, the group’s communication officer.

“It’s disappointing to see something like this. And I think these sorts of stories are what contribute to that feeling among English-language citizens in Montreal and in Quebec that they don’t really belong here.”

Even if the library changes its stance, DiRaddo says he would rather go elsewhere.

“I don’t anticipate doing an event at that library … I want a partner who wants to partner with me,” he said.

DiRaddo added that he has been approached by a number of people and places to host a future meeting and is ready to turn the page.