The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick must be able to perform their functions in both official languages.

In a 6-3 decision released Friday, the court said appointing a lieutenant-governor who can’t communicate in both official languages violates the section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stating that English and French have equal status in New Brunswick.

“This equality cannot be preserved when the position of lieutenant-governor of the province, a unipersonal and highly symbolic institution, is held by a unilingual person,” the decision read.