Charter of the French Language Charter's provisions expanded upon the 1974 "Official Language Act" (Bill 22), which was enacted by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Parliament during the tenure of Premier Robert Bourassa's Liberal government to make French the official language of Quebec. Prior to 1974, Quebec had no official language and was subject only to the requirements on the use of English and French contained in Article 133 of the British North America Act, 1867. Bill 101 has been amended more than six times since 1977. Each amendment has aroused controversy over such provisions as the use of French on commercial signs or restrictions on enrolment into
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