Senator Chaput won’t give up the fight: Bill S-220 will be back on the agenda following the election

Wednesday, 06 April 2011 14:32

OTTAWA, April 6, 2011 - Because a federal election was called, Bill S-220 has died on the Order Paper.  What this means is that the Bill will return to square one when Parliament meets again.  Senator Chaput will, however, ensure that Bill S-220 is tabled again.

Senator Chaput opened the debate regarding S-220 on June 15, 2010.  Many senators have since spoken on the Bill.  Here are a few excerpts of what has been said:

"Her bill seeks to amend the Official Languages Act, primarily to guarantee equal quality of communications with and services to speakers of either of our official languages." - Senator Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, October 21, 2010

"Modernizing the Official Languages Act is a realistic and very timely objective.  It is high time we took into account the reality that is shaping official language minority communities today [...]." - Senator Claudette Tardif, November 4, 2010

"This bill, which is a noble initiative of Senator Maria Chaput, deserves our full attention." - Senator Mobina S.B. Jaffer, November 23, 2010

"I would like to express my admiration and gratitude to Senator Chaput for undertaking such a difficult and time-consuming task to bring before us the matter at hand - an updating of the Official Languages Act." - Senator Marie-P. Poulin, December 7, 2010

"I will be recommending that the bill ultimately be sent to committee so that it can be studied seriously, as should happen with a serious bill." - Senator Gerald J. Comeau (Deputy Leader of the Government), December 14, 2010

"I agree with our colleagues and the commissioner, Mr. Fraser, when they say that arithmetic cannot be the only criterion used to determine where there is sufficient demand." - Senator Andrée Champagne, February 16, 2011

"I do agree with Senator Chaput in that legislation needs to be reviewed regularly." - Senator Elizabeth (Beth) Marshall, March 24, 2011

Bill S-220 was drafted with the help of the Honourable Michel Bastarache and called a "very important initiative" by the Commissioner of Official Languages.  To track the progress of Bill S-220, which will soon receive a new bill number, Senator Chaput invites you to visit her website at www.mariachaput.ca.

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For an interview with the senator, please contact:
Suzanne Belliveau at 613-943-2435 or by email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it