B.C. court rules against allowing man’s trial to be held in French
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — A judge in British Columbia has ruled against a man’s bid to have his trial heard in French.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Murray Blok says in a written decision released Wednesday that the Francophone man who applied for a judicial review of his request did not prove that a lower court made a mistake in refusing him a French-language trial.
Joseph Bessette is disputing a charge of driving while prohibited dating back to September 2014, and asserts his right to have a trial in French.
Bessette applied for the right in provincial court, claiming he can request his trial be conducted in either of Canada’s official languages, but the judge refused.