Quebec citizenship and reasonable accommodations

Pauline Marois, new leader of the Parti Quebecois, has table legislation in the National Assembly that would create a new type of status: Quebec citizen. This bill ties certain political rights (notably the right to run for office and the right to petition the government) to fulfillment of a cultural responsibility (developing competence in the language of the province). Some details here (from the Gazette, which never fails to disappoint). The coverage in other papers is more interesting, but this story gives you the basic idea. The proposal feeds into the current maelstrom about reasonable accommodation. (For those who aren’t aware, a commission is touring the province holding public hearings concerning the adjustments society should make to accommodate the needs of ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities). All of these debates touch on questions we treat in class.

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