Conservative MP Maxime Bernier has issued a lengthy statement explaining his opposition to Quebec's language laws, saying he won't be silenced by insults and mockery.
The former federal cabinet minister has been excoriated by Quebec politicians and pundits since telling a Halifax radio station on Friday that Quebecers don't need Bill 101, the province's landmark language legislation.
But Bernier has responded by going even further -- Sunday, on his personal blog, he published a long note in French and English explaining his opposition to a law that, in Quebec, has been considered sacrosanct by the political class for more than three decades.
Bernier says it's important for Quebec to remain a predominantly French-language society, but that shouldn't be achieved by restricting people's rights and freedom of choice.
The 1977 legislation, which limited English on street signs and access to English public schools, is often credited with saving the French language from decline in the province.
The Harper government has refused to wade into the debate, saying that it "respects provincial jurisdiction."
