BCE INC. | French as official language at BCE INC.

Status
1.87% votes in favour
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
3
Resolution details
Company ticker
BCE
Lead filer
Mouvement d'éducation et de défense des actionnaires (MÉDAC)
Resolution ask
Adopt or amend a policy
ESG theme
  • Governance
ESG sub-theme
  • Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Telecom
Company HQ country
Canada
Resolved clause
It is proposed that the language of the Company be French, the language of work in Québec, including at annual meetings. Its official status must be expressly written in the Company’s letters.
Supporting statement
The Company’s head office is in Québec, a French-speaking state. The state of Québec has existed for over 400 years. Also, the official language of Québec is French. Québec is the only French-speaking state in America. The language of a people is its most essential fundamental attribute, an existential attribute. The diversity of the world cannot in any way be reduced to issues strictly related to the biological nature of natural persons or to arbitration of individual privileges. The diversity of the world is, first of all, a collective issue based primarily on the culture of peoples. The people of Québec, through its territorial state and public institutions, starting with its national assembly, constitution and charters, ensure the protection of linguistic diversity in the world by rigorously protecting the collective and public character of its language. The spirit of the Act is clear (1), including that of the reforms of Federal and Québec Laws. The respect for and promotion of this attribute of global diversity is inter alia a matter of social responsibility for all companies. This is in the interest of all stakeholders, starting with the entire community, from all origins. Sustainable development and long-term performance cannot be imagined otherwise. It is the duty of society to act with scrupulous respect for these sacred principles. It is also perfectly doable to do business anywhere in the world with a head office that works in the language of the state where it is located. For example, the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (“AGM”) of Samsung (Suwon) is in Korean, the AGM of Heineken  (Amsterdam) is in Dutch, the AGM of Nissan (Yokohama) is in Japanese, the AGM of Foxconn (Taiwan) is in Mandarin, the AGM of Volkswagen (Wolfsburg) is in German and the AGMs of L’Oréal (Clichy), Danone (Paris), Christian Dior (Paris) and LVMH (Paris) are in French. The content is translated into other languages. The principle is simple and clear. The French language is not a choice. It is the collective instrument for communicating. Moreover, for foreign languages, there is translation, simultaneous or not. French is our common language. It is a collective issue of fairness, justice and dignity. A national issue.

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