Moncton city council has approved a new rule in principle, requiring at least one-third of the members on its committees to be francophone.
The unanimous vote came during a committee of the whole meeting on Monday, where councillors also raised concerns about how appointments are handled.
Councillor Bryan Butler said he is no longer willing to simply endorse names without more information.
“I am done rubber stamping. If it comes back, I’m going to go nay in on everything that comes forward unless I have a little bit more direction of why these people are being selected,” Butler said.
Councillor Daniel Bourgeois introduced the amendment, saying Moncton’s official bilingual status makes language rights distinct from general diversity goals. The change requires at least 33 per cent of committee members to be francophone.
Council also discussed the role of staff in screening applications, with some members calling for elected officials to have more control over the criteria used to evaluate candidates.
The changes will be included in a revised policy on committee appointments, which is expected to return to council for final approval in the coming weeks.
