Commission of Inquiry on the Situation of the French Language and Linguistic Rights in Quebec

The Commission of Inquiry on the Situation of the French Language and Linguistic Rights in Quebec was established under the Union Nationale government of Jean-Jacques Bertrand on December 9, 1968.

The Mouvement pour l'intégration scolaire (MIS), created by francophone parents in the middle of the Saint-Leonard Crisis, wished for mandatory French-language education for allophones, but immigrants, mostly of Italian origin were supported by anglophones in creating the Saint Leonard English Catholic Association of Parents to defend being able to choose either English or French schools.

[1] Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand appointed the following people as commissioners: The commission was mandated to propose measures "to ensure 1) the respect of the linguistic rights of the majority as well as the protection of the rights of minorities and 2) the free blooming and diffusion of the French language in all activity sectors at the educational, cultural, social and economic levels.

[3]On the subject of the language of instructions, it noted: The immigrants arrived in Quebec to improve their material condition and to insure a better future for their children.

Following the presentation of this report, the National Assembly of Quebec, then under a Liberal government, passed the Official Language Act.