Whenever a new fracas erupts between the government of Premier François Legault and the anglophone community, Eric Girard, the minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers, is dispatched to try to patch things up.

Recently, he admitted that new directives issued last summer that suggested eligibility certificates for education in English could be used to access health care in English were “not our finest moment” and that he was “disappointed” at how the whole saga played out.

Previously, Girard acknowledged that tuition hikes for out-of-province students that disproportionately harmed Quebec’s English universities had ruffled feathers, and he vowed to smooth things over.

When he was appointed to the portfolio in 2022 after the angst surrounding the adoption of Bill 96, Quebec’s update of protections for the French language, Girard promised to allay fears and “do better.”

“When I say we need to do better, I mean we need to improve relations,” he told The Gazette back in the early days of his tenure.

But time and again, these prove to be empty promises. Because actions speak louder than words.

And even though it was less than a month ago that Girard called for the latest reset, the Legault government has demonstrated the depth of its contempt for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers anew by announcing its intention to appeal the latest ruling on Bill 40 all the way to the Supreme Court of........

© Montreal Gazette