Charter of the French Language collaboration. Charter of the French Language The Charter of the French Language (), also known as Bill 101 ("Law 101 or "), is a 1977 law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of the provincial government. It is the central legislative piece in Quebec's language policy. Proposed by Camille Laurin, the Minister of Cultural Development under the first Parti Québécois government of Premier René Lévesque, it was passed by the National Assembly, and granted Royal Assent by Lieutenant Governor Hugues Lapointe on August 26, 1977.
Section 16 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 16 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 16 of the "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" is the first of several sections of the Constitution dealing with Canada's two official languages, English and French. Section 16 declares that English and French are the official languages of Canada and of the province of New Brunswick. Under the heading "Official Languages of Canada", the section reads: This section sets out general principles that are expanded in sections 16.1 to 22. Section 16 itself expands upon language rights in the "Constitution Act, 1867"; whereas section 133 of the "Constitution