VICTORIAVILLE – Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) leader François Legault personally intervened to have his party’s website modified to remove English-language content.

On Wednesday morning, he requested that the English version of the CAQ report “Now. Our record.” from the site after becoming aware of an article by The Canadian Press.

The news agency highlighted that Mr. Legault’s party practiced bilingualism just as it passed Bill 96 to strengthen the French language in Quebec.

When asked about this, François Legault said at a press conference in Longueuil on Wednesday that he regretted that his party had published content in English on its website.

“That is an exception. The entire site is in French only. There is the balance sheet, which was made bilingual. It should have all been in French,” he said.

The CAQ report is a long text detailing the 104 achievements of the Legault government carried out between 2018 and 2022.

The Caquiste team also announced on Wednesday that the party would no longer produce advertising in English. The last CAQ ad campaign aimed at seducing the English-speaking electorate, “Join us”, dates back to 2017.

While in Victoriaville, Mr. Legault defended himself against breaking off dialogue with Anglophone Quebecers. “The English-speaking minority in Quebec is treated very well,” he said.

He said he wanted to be compliant with Law 96, which did not exist in 2017 and which requires the state to be a role model when it comes to the French language. “There’s an official language in Quebec, it’s French,” said Mr. Legault.

Bill 96 does not require political parties to pursue language policies favoring the primacy or exclusivity of French.