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QUEBEC — The Quebec Liberal Party policy convention has decided that from now on legislation, regulations and policies that the Quebec government plans to adopt will be assessed for their impact on the English-speaking community, in a shift with potentially far-reaching consequences.

But a controversial last-minute amendment which would have gone a step further — forcing Quebec’s entire public sector to provide services in English on demand — was withdrawn after it became clear it was too radical an idea.

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It was dropped after an emotional heated debate during which delegates warned the party was headed into dangerous waters.

Delegate Pierre Bouillon, for example, told the plenary while he respects the anglophone community, “I think we’re pushing the envelope a bit far. French is the official language of Quebec. It was (former premier Robert) Bourassa who did this and I don’t think it’s time to go back on it.”