Marissa Ramnanan
This year, for the first time in a Quebec general election, voters received key election information in the mail in French only. The documents included a QR code directing voters to election information in English online.
This is in accordance with a CAQ amendment made to Bill 96, the sweeping language legislation adopted by the Coalition Avenir Québec government in 2022. The legislation strengthened requirements for government institutions to communicate with Quebecers in French.
But for some Black anglophone seniors in Montreal, accessing information through a QR code presents another barrier.
“A lot of them, their concern is they don’t even understand what a QR code is, and a lot of them don’t have a smartphone,” said West Island Black Community Association president Joan Lee. “They have a phone, but, believe it or not, a lot of our seniors, because they’re scared of scams, or they just can’t afford it, they still have a simple flip phone or a landline. So, for them, when they say to download a QR code, it’s not a practical solution.”
There has been legal pushback over these French-only election mailouts that contain details on how and where to vote. The lawsuit, which won, alleges that voters who lack access to the information needed to cast their ballots, like Black Anglophone seniors, are “denied the exercise of their fundamental right to meaningfully participate in the political process.”
However, while Quebec Superior Court Judge Sylvain Lussier ascended, ordering Élections Québec to send out bilingual voting information cards, Christine Frechette’s CAQ government filed an appeal on that ruling. The appeal states the judge erred in his decision by “applying the criteria of the appearance of law and the balancing of inconveniences by creating a language right not provided for in the Constitution.”
Not only that, but the CAQ government ordered Élections Québec to speak solely to voters in French on voting day, unless they can prove they are eligible to be served in English.
Documents sent to THE CONTACT by Élections Québec highlight that, for a Quebecer to be served in English, they must answer “yes” to the following questions: ‘Have you been declared eligible to get an education in English?’ and/or ‘ Are you a member of a Native community?’
“It’s not up to us to decide; we must comply with the law,” said Julie St-Arnaud-Drolet of Élections Québec in an email to THE CONTACT. “We rely on the person’s statement and do not require any certification or other proof.”
WIBCA has a Senior Surf computer class, and it is usually on hiatus at this time. While they usually only start after Thanksgiving, they held a session last Friday afternoon to show West Island seniors how to get online so they could understand what a QR code is, and download it.
“I think some of them are still apprehensive about it. They wanted to know if we could go vote with them, but I told them that usually [Elections Quebec] doesn’t like it when someone goes along with them to vote. But we gave them some simple instructions: ‘You know who you want to vote for, so you choose that person. ’
Tables Quartier South held an event for constituents to meet the candidates on Wednesday in their West Island riding so they can make an informed decision.
“We don’t want the scrutineers there to think that we’re trying to sway them one way or the other; that’s not what we do. We just want them to exercise their democratic right to vote,” said Lee.
“Our seniors have contributed to this community, to this country, and they should really have the right to vote, and understand how to vote,” continued Lee. “It shouldn’t come down to language. We should not make technology a barrier for them to exercise their right to vote.”
