It had previously told Montreal\u2019s transit agency to drop English messages supporting the Montreal Canadiens<\/a> because of the word go, and ordered the Burgundy Lion Pub to change its sign on the grounds that burgundy is an English word<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that these should be analyzed before taking positions when it comes to the OQLF,\u201d Fr\u00e9chette said when asked about the OQLF\u2019s moves.<\/p>\n She did not say whether she will formally ask the OQLF to change its procedures or tone.<\/p>\n Asked if she gets exasperated by headlines about OQLF controversies, Fr\u00e9chette said: \u201cYeah, I think that we have to take lessons from past experiences, and these are examples.\u201d<\/p>\n The OQLF eventually backtracked on two of the controversies. <\/p>\n It allowed city buses to display the English message Go Habs Go after French Language Minister Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roberge said the expression is part of Quebec\u2019s lexicon. The Burgundy Lion was allowed to keep its sign, with the OQLF saying it should not have ordered the change.<\/p>\n In the interview, Fr\u00e9chette repeated a promise she made two weeks ago to set a \u201cdifferent tone\u201d with Quebec anglophones<\/a> after years of acrimony between the Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec government and the community.<\/p>\n \u201cOur government cares a lot about the English-speaking community and we want to have a dialogue,\u201d she told CJAD. \u201cTone matters, and I want to have a positive tone when it comes to English-speaking Quebecers.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the community is an asset to Quebec, singling out Concordia and McGill as \u201cworld-class universities\u201d that \u201ccontribute a lot to society.\u201d<\/p>\n The two institutions were a source of friction between anglophones and the CAQ after the government imposed tuition and funding changes that hurt their finances. At the time, McGill president Deep Saini described the moves as a \u201ctargeted attack\u201d on English universities.<\/p>\n Under former premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault, the community and the CAQ also clashed over language laws, the government\u2019s efforts to abolish elected English school boards and a secularism law that bars government workers from wearing religious symbols at work.<\/p>\n Under Legault, the CAQ toughened Quebec language laws, allowed anonymous language complaints and more than doubled the OQLF\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n The tension did not ease when Fr\u00e9chette became premier<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n Her government introduced a bill under which 27,000 students<\/a> would have been moved from English-language adult education and vocational programs into the French system.<\/p>\n English school boards said the shift would devastate their finances. They said the CAQ government did not consult them before presenting the bill.<\/p>\n The proposed legislation did not make it into law, but Fr\u00e9chette has vowed to revive the plan if she returns as premier after the Oct. 5 general election.<\/p>\n In the CJAD interview, Fr\u00e9chette said the changes in adult ed and vocational training are needed to reverse a decline in French.<\/p>\n But she said if re-elected, her government will consult the anglophone community about the plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe can modify the process in order to consult the English community. I think the process could have been improved.\u201d<\/p>\n Fr\u00e9chette said it\u2019s not too late for a CAQ\u2013anglophone rapprochement.<\/p>\n \u201cI was hearing exactly the same thing when I got elected as premier,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople would say, \u2018Oh, unfortunately, it\u2019s too late for them because the CAQ will not be re-elected.\u2019 And we can see that the winds are changing.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall support for the CAQ appears to have grown since Fr\u00e9chette took over, with a Synopsis poll last week suggesting the party is closing in on second place with 21 per cent support, an increase of three points. <\/p>\n \u201cWe can see that there\u2019s again an openness from Quebecers, an interest in hearing about the CAQ, and I think that the same thing can happen with the English-speaking community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The icy relationship between English universities and the CAQ may be thawing. <\/p>\n McGill, Concordia and Bishop\u2019s are to hold a press conference on Tuesday with Higher Education Minister Martine Biron to announce a deal to \u201cstrengthen French in Quebec.\u201d <\/p>\n They have been working on a plan to boost French proficiency among anglophone students from the rest of Canada and abroad. Last year, a court struck down Quebec\u2019s attempt to impose such requirements on English universities.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n
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