Legault Says The EMSB Seems Like A 'Radical Group' After Suggesting Quebec Isn't A Nation

Quebec Premier François Legault directed some pointed words at the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) at a press conference on Tuesday after the organization insisted that the government withdraw its language reform legislation — the controversial Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec.

"I think they are disconnected," said the premier, "it's as if they've become a radical group."

The EMSB's suggestion that the government should withdraw from Bill 96 was met with anger from both the provincial government and the Bloc Québécois.

In a document, the EMSB asserted that Bill 96 would lead to a "further decline of enrollment at English schools" and that it "discourages bilingualism by restricting Francophones and allophones from accessing English CEGEPs," among other things.

Jon G. Bradley, a former professor who added his voice to the document, insisted that "Quebec is not a nation. It never has been."

"Even the federal government recognizes that Quebec is a nation," Legault said at his press conference.

This controversy has made its way into the Montreal mayoral race as well. Ensemble Montréal leader Denis Coderre removed EMSB chairman Joe Ortona as one of his candidates in the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.

Legault praised Coderre's move.

"I was happy to see Denis Coderre remove his candidate that came from the EMSB," he said.