Page "Equality Party (Quebec)" Paragraph 1

The party was formed in 1989 as a reaction to then-Premier Robert Bourassa invoking the " Notwithstanding clause " of the Canadian constitution to override a Supreme Court ruling overturning parts of the Charter of the French Language ( commonly known as " Bill 101 ").

The court ruling would have allowed languages other than French to appear on store signs and outdoor advertising ; the government instead allowed other languages only on small signs inside shops.

Another issue that fed Equality Party support was the Quebec Liberal Party's forcing anglophone Members of the Quebec National Assembly ( MNAs ) to condemn a report from the Official Languages Commissioner suggesting Quebec anglophones felt " humiliated " by laws such as Bill 101.