Achi news desk-
FREDERICTON –
The New Brunswick Court of Appeal says that although it is desirable for the province’s lieutenant-governor to be bilingual, the Constitution does not impose such a requirement.
In its decision released today, the Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court ruling that said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated constitutional linguistic protections when he appointed monolingual anglophone Brenda Murphy as lieutenant governor in 2019.
The Acadian Association of New Brunswick had challenged Murphy’s appointment, arguing that it violated the right to communicate with the government and receive services from it in either official language.
But the Court of Appeal panel says that while residents of Canada’s only officially bilingual province have the right to receive services in either language, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not require the appointment of a bilingual lieutenant governor.
The court says that the use of Canada’s two official languages ​​in the lieutenant governor’s office does not depend on the “personal linguistic abilities” of the office holder.
The Acadian association said in a statement that it maintains its position that a bilingual lieutenant-governor is a constitutional imperative and that it intends to take the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on May 23, 2024.
