Québec court orders voter information in English and French

A Quebec Superior Court judge ordered Élections Québec to send voter reminder cards in both French and English ahead of the Oct. 5 election, ruling that a French-only mailing would have deprived roughly 12% of voters of information needed to exercise their right to vote in English. The ruling came on the last possible day before the cards went to press, after plaintiff Geoffrey Chambers argued the French-only policy violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The French-only approach stemmed from Quebec's 2022 language law, which restricts English-language public services; Élections Québec had sought an exemption since 2023 and been refused. The English-language fix to the reminder cards alone will cost an additional CA$6 million, bringing the total mailout cost to CA$16.4 million, and the injunction runs only 10 days, meaning the parties may have to return to court to renew it.

Élections Québec had proposed offering English information online and by phone to those legally eligible, but the judge found that insufficient, particularly for elderly voters with limited internet access.

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