Library contents

This working paper examines the legal and political developments surrounding section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Quebec between 2019 and 2026. It traces the major legislative and policy initiatives introduced by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government in the areas of secularism, education, language, integration, constitutional reform, and university funding, and examines how these measures intersect with minority-language educational rights. Drawing on legislation, parliamentary debates, court decisions, and institutional briefs, the paper presents a chronological overview of Bills 21, 40, 96, 84, 94, 9, the proposed Québec Constitution Act, 2025, and changes to tuition policies affecting English-language universities. It highlights the legal challenges, public interventions, and policy engagement of English-language school boards, universities, and community organizations, with particular attention to the evolving interpretation of section 23 and the constitutional principle of minority-language institutional management and control.