On April 7, 1987, MLA Léo Piquette of the New Democratic Party made a threatening gesture in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta: he spoke in French. He posed a question to the Minister of Education, Nancy Bertkowski. MLA Piquette began his speech in English, but as soon as he uttered a few words in French, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, David Carter, interrupted him. He said, “En anglais, s’il vous plaît!” Piquette complied and asked his question in English. He did, however, raise a point of order during the parliamentary session. The MLA believed he had the right to express himself in French. The Speaker informed MLAs he would reflect on the matter for a few days. On April 9, 1987, he communicated his decision to the House: MLAs must speak in English. If they wished to use French, they must obtain the consent of the House.

The question of the use of French unleashed passions. Some 50 Franco-Albertans applauded MLA Piquette in the rotunda of the Legislative Assembly on April 9. Other Albertans expressed hostility, even hatred, towards francophones, reported The Globe and Mail on April 15, 1987.

In response to Piquette’s gesture, the Legislative Assembly’s Elections and Privileges Committee backed the Speaker’s position, recommending in June 1987 that MLAs obtain permission from the Speaker of the House before speaking in a language other than English. They also asked MLA Piquette to apologize for his gesture.

Speaking on November 27, Léo Piquette, a Franco-Albertan from Plamondon, reiterated it had not been his intention to challenge the Speaker’s authority. However, he insisted that speaking French was a right, not a privilege. Despite this intervention and a demonstration by 500 people in favour of bilingualism in Edmonton, MLAs supported the recommendation of the Elections and Privileges Committee.

The following document contains excerpts from the debates between MLA Piquette and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, as well as the Speaker’s decision. The full proceedings can be found on the website of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.