In the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, retired college professor Derek Heatherington took action upon learning that the provincial elections agency planned to distribute information guides solely in French this year. Heatherington expressed concern over potential voter suppression, prompting him to file a complaint and share a template on social media to encourage others to do the same.
Élections Québec announced on September 1 that, in compliance with a 2022 law mandating public communications in French only, they would not provide English-language guides. Instead, the agency suggested using a QR code on the guide to access the English information online.
Heatherington, a member of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, criticized the elections authority for allegedly impeding democracy and infringing on constitutional rights ahead of the October 5 provincial election. Documents obtained through access to information laws revealed that Élections Québec received 160 complaints within five days of announcing the unilingual guides, with 27 complaints mirroring Heatherington’s template.
Some complainants expressed disappointment over the compromised right to vote, emphasizing the challenges faced by English-speaking minorities and individuals with specific language needs, such as an autistic son who can only communicate in English. A Superior Court judge intervened on September 16, temporarily suspending language legislation provisions and ordering the agency to issue bilingual reminder cards in response to legal challenges.
Élections Québec spokesperson Julie St-Arnaud-Drolet acknowledged the frustrations of some voters but emphasized the agency’s obligation to adhere to governmental laws without appearing biased towards any political party. Internal documents from Élections Québec outlined potential risks of distributing French-only guides, including lower voter turnout and diminished trust in democratic institutions.
Heatherington recognized the agency’s predicament in navigating language laws while hoping that the surge of complaints would prompt Élections Québec to challenge the language legislation.