Leo Piquette
Encyclopedia
Léo Piquette was elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly in the 1986 Alberta election
. He was a member of the Alberta New Democratic Party
for the district of Athabasca-Lac La Biche
.
Piquette is largely remembered for what would come to be known as the "Piquette Affair." On April 7, 1987, Piquette attempted to ask a question in French in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
. Speaker
David J. Carter
twice prevented him from asking the question, ruling that English was the only language permitted in the legislature. Piquette appeared before a special hearing of the legislature's Election and Privilege Committee to argue the legislature had a duty to let members speak in both English and French. He relied on section 110 of the Northwest Territories Act, which provided that members of the Northwest Territories
legislature could use both English
and French
in debates. Piquette reasoned that the Act (which governed the territory that contained Alberta before Alberta became a province in 1905) had never been repealed, and was still in effect.
The incident sparked two rallies at the legislature in April and December 1987, where hundreds of francophone
s from across Alberta demonstrated in support of francophone language rights.
In February 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada
released its decision in R. v. Mercure
, [1988] 1 S.C.R. 234. The Court ruled that s. 110 continued in force in both Saskatchewan and Alberta, but also held that the legislatures of those provinces could unilaterally modify these language rights. The Alberta Legislature responded by allowing members to speak in French, but only if they provided the Speaker with a written translation of their comments, in advance.
After his electoral defeat in 1989, Léo Piquette stayed active in the francophone community and provincial politics. In 1994, he helped pioneer francophone education in Alberta after the Alberta government granted francophone parents the right to francophone schools. He became a school board member of le Conseille Scolaire Centre Est in 1994, and was Chair of the Board until 2004, when he was elected as President of the Federation des Conseil Scolaire de l'Alberta. He was also a founding member and President of the Chambre Economique de l'Alberta. He is currently the Alberta Director for RRDEE Canada, a group of businesspeople who work with the federal government to implement bilingualism policies throughout Canada.
Alberta general election, 1986
The Alberta general election of 1986 was the twenty-first general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 8, 1986 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He was a member of the Alberta New Democratic Party
Alberta New Democratic Party
The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
for the district of Athabasca-Lac La Biche
Athabasca-Lac La Biche
Athabasca-Lac La Biche was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada from 1986 until 1993, when it was dissolved.-MLAs:The district elected the following members to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta:-Election results:...
.
Piquette is largely remembered for what would come to be known as the "Piquette Affair." On April 7, 1987, Piquette attempted to ask a question in French in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
. Speaker
Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly, is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.The Speaker is selected by secret ballot in the first session of a new legislative assembly.-List of Speakers:-External links:**...
David J. Carter
David J. Carter
David John Carter is a politician, clergyman, photographer and author from Alberta, Canada.Carter served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1979 to 1993...
twice prevented him from asking the question, ruling that English was the only language permitted in the legislature. Piquette appeared before a special hearing of the legislature's Election and Privilege Committee to argue the legislature had a duty to let members speak in both English and French. He relied on section 110 of the Northwest Territories Act, which provided that members of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
legislature could use both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in debates. Piquette reasoned that the Act (which governed the territory that contained Alberta before Alberta became a province in 1905) had never been repealed, and was still in effect.
The incident sparked two rallies at the legislature in April and December 1987, where hundreds of francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
s from across Alberta demonstrated in support of francophone language rights.
In February 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
released its decision in R. v. Mercure
R. v. Mercure
R. v. Mercure, [1988] 1 S.C.R. 234 was a 1988 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada.The appellant demanded the right to a statutory provision in Saskatchewan governing a speeding ticket be expressed in French as well as the right to have a trial conducted in French...
, [1988] 1 S.C.R. 234. The Court ruled that s. 110 continued in force in both Saskatchewan and Alberta, but also held that the legislatures of those provinces could unilaterally modify these language rights. The Alberta Legislature responded by allowing members to speak in French, but only if they provided the Speaker with a written translation of their comments, in advance.
After his electoral defeat in 1989, Léo Piquette stayed active in the francophone community and provincial politics. In 1994, he helped pioneer francophone education in Alberta after the Alberta government granted francophone parents the right to francophone schools. He became a school board member of le Conseille Scolaire Centre Est in 1994, and was Chair of the Board until 2004, when he was elected as President of the Federation des Conseil Scolaire de l'Alberta. He was also a founding member and President of the Chambre Economique de l'Alberta. He is currently the Alberta Director for RRDEE Canada, a group of businesspeople who work with the federal government to implement bilingualism policies throughout Canada.