SHERBROOKE — Liberal Leader Charles Milliard says he agrees with Quebec French Language Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil, who said this week the most recent government revisions of the Charter of the French Language have not sufficed to reverse the decline.
But raising expectations, Milliard said the plan for French that his party is working on behind the scenes will “please Quebecers,” and be better.
“I share the worries of the commissioner,” Milliard said arriving for a two-day party general council meeting Friday. “What that means is the measures put in place in the last eight years have not been sufficient and do not correspond to the reality.
“Our plan will respond to this.”
Asked in English if the new Liberal plan will go further than that put in place by the Coalition Avenir Québec or be better, Milliard responded.
“Well it will be better, obviously, because we’re going to have specific measures that will promote French and protect French but also give access to more quantity and quality of French for all Quebecers.
“We’re going to have a project, a plan that will try and reunite all Quebecers to the core of Quebec culture, which is French.
“I think the CAQ has been wrong with some decisions that’s why we’re going to have our own plan and we’ll let Quebecers be the judge.”
Quebec’s Liberals have a long history of stumbling over language policy as they try to walk the line between wooing francophone nationalists and not alienating its large base of English-speaking voters.
In April 2021, former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade announced a 27-point plan for French. The plan stayed largely under the radar until the party tried to unveil some of it during the debate over the CAQ’s reform of Bill 101 via Bill 96.
One element in particular, agreeing to more French courses in the English CEGEP system, rankled the anglophone community so badly the party later issued a mea culpa.
When Milliard became leader in February 2026, he promised to take another swing at the issue. On Friday, he announced the new Liberal plan will be ready before June 21, which is well before the October general election.
Earlier this week, Dubreuil indicated in his annual report that CAQ-imposed language reforms, including Bill 96, have not reversed the decline of French in Quebec.
He called on political leaders to produce a new, more robust plan.
But Milliard faced questions on whether his Liberal caucus, which includes MNAs representing majority anglophone constituents, will be united before the new plan.
“There is no malaise with language in the Quebec Liberal Party,” Milliard said standing in the lobby of a Sherbrooke hotel. “We are resolutely francophone and we are proud of our language and our members are united.
“We will produce a plan that will please Quebecers.”
Milliard made the comments on the same day as the party announced it would not support the CAQ government’s latest effort to shore up French, Bill 8, presented by French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge.
The Liberal critic for the French language, Madwa-Nika Cadet, said the Liberals cannot support a bill that would remove the right of adults to take vocational training and adult education courses in the language they choose.
With the legislature to recess June 12, the bill is unlikely to be adopted.
“It’s a measure that addresses itself largely to adults,” Milliard said. “But in Bill 101, no political leader (in history) went so far as to want to influence the freedom of adults to choose.
“Even Jacques Parizeau (the former Parti Québécois premier) and many other leaders never went so far.”
The Liberals’ general council, which has drawn 500 people to this Eastern Townships city, is the last one before the fall general election.
The Liberals hope their breakthrough in the regions starts here. The party was largely held to seats on the Island of Montreal in the 2022 election.
Sherbrooke also has great symbolic value for the party because it was the home riding of former leader Jean Charest. Milliard himself will run in the riding of Orford.
On Saturday, Liberals will be huddled behind closed doors to discuss election strategy and train volunteers for the coming campaign.
Milliard confirmed Friday that the party has now chosen 40 of the 125 candidates it needs for the campaign. The party’s star Sherbrooke candidate is the former rector of the Université de Sherbrooke, Pierre Cossette.
On Saturday, the leader will close the council with a speech outlining his economic vision for Quebec.
The theme of the council is “The economy: the lever of our ambitions.”
The Liberals currently hold 18 seats in Quebec’s 125-seat legislature. The election will take place Oct. 5.