The resolution ignited a national controversy which made the city a flashpoint in the Meech Lake Accord debate.
The resolution was widely seen as retaliation for Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa's move to override the Supreme Court of Canada ruling that declared parts of Bill 101 unconstitutional.
[2] On January 27, 1990, the city's daily newspaper, The Sault Star, reported that council would debate the language resolution two days later.
Angus, who had served on council for three decades, derided the motion as "an unnecessary resolution that solves a problem that does not exist".
In an attempt to control the growing controversy, the mayor and council unanimously adopted a subsequent resolution on February 19, 1990 recognizing "the important role which French Canadians have played in the development of our community and our country.
Both Peterson and his successor as premier, Bob Rae, refused to meet with mayor Joe Fratesi on several subsequent occasions, even to discuss unrelated matters.
Council defended the resolution, suggesting that Quebec's language laws and its refusal to abide by the Supreme Court ruling also constituted racism.
Entertainers weighed in on the controversy; on their 1991 album Road Apples, The Tragically Hip criticized the resolution in the song "Born in the Water": Smart as trees in Sault Ste.
He later became embroiled in a conflict of interest controversy in 1995 when he applied for the job of chief administrative officer of the city, while still sitting as mayor.
[6] Quebec Premier Bourassa later passed Bill 86, which amended that province's language laws in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, so the controversy died down.
Be It Resolved that a notation be added to the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of City Council of January 29, 1990 to include the following beside item 5(e); N.B.
As recently as 2007, The Gazette in Montreal referred to the town of Hérouxville, then embroiled in a controversy around reasonable accommodation of immigrants, as Quebec's "own Sault Ste.
In his speech, Mayor Matthew Shoemaker reiterated that the 1990 resolution was a mistake and outlined the importance of French culture and language in the city's history.