Official Languages Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.))

Marginal note:Cooperation — provinces and territories

• 45.1 (1) The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of cooperating with provincial and territorial governments in the implementation of this Part, taking into account the diversity of the provincial and territorial language regimes that contribute to the advancement of the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society, including that

  • (a) the Constitution of Canada provides every person with the right to use English or French in the debates of the Houses of the Legislature of Quebec and those of the Legislature of Manitoba and the right to use English or French in any pleading or process in or from the courts of those provinces;

  • (b) Quebec’s Charter of the French language provides that French is the official language of Quebec;

  • (c) the Constitution of Canada provides that English and French are the official languages of New Brunswick and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the legislature and government of New Brunswick; and

  • (d) the Constitution of Canada provides that the English linguistic community and the French linguistic community in New Brunswick have equality of status and equal rights and privileges.

• Marginal note:For greater certainty

  (2) For greater certainty, the implementation of this Part shall be carried out while respecting the jurisdiction and powers of the provinces and territories.