Opinion

  The Gazette’s Allison Hanes says English-speaking Quebecers should be skeptical of PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s outreach, arguing past promises of inclusion by sovereignist and nationalist leaders were followed by policies weakening anglophone rights. She says his pledge to hold a first-mandate sovereignty referendum would create uncertainty and distract from issues like housing, the … Read more

  In an op-ed in the Gazette, Mona Beck, president of TALQ member Seniors Action Quebec, argues that Quebec’s rapidly aging population should be a central election issue. By 2031, one in four Quebecers will be over 65, increasing pressure on an already strained health-care system, with thousands of seniors waiting for home care or … Read more

In an op-ed in Le Devoir, TALQ board member and president of the Quebec Board of Black Educators Alix Adrien, says Quebec’s political leaders should directly engage with the province’s English-speaking minority during the upcoming election whether through debates, forums, or public discussions. Drawing on his own experience as a Francophone immigrant who worked in … Read more

Canada and Quebec are rightly seen as open societies, which makes the rapporteurs’ concerns all the worthier of priority attention.   The International Commission of Jurists Canada should be commended for having asked the UN Human Rights Council to review Quebec’s proposed constitution (Bill 1) on the basis that the legislation infringes upon minority and Indigenous rights. … Read more

He understood that you must be able to address the other side in its own language — to persuade, to negotiate, or simply to be understood. On March 25, 1968, René Lévesque walked into an auditorium at Scarborough College — today the University of Toronto Scarborough. He was warmly received by students who had come … Read more

It’s an opportunity to demonstrate that they aspire to govern all Quebecers, not only those watching in French. Quebec’s next premier will govern nearly 9 million people. Among them are more than a million English-speaking Quebecers, people who raise families, build businesses and contribute to every aspect of Quebec society. They deserve the opportunity to … Read more

Graduates from an innovative language program are busting myths about anglophones. One by one, the graduates made their way to the front of the room wearing black caps and gold-lettered sashes. They shook hands with their teachers, were handed certificates and switched their tassels from right to left to mark a rite of passage. When … Read more

Did Mark Carney put wind in the sails of the Parti Québécois by wading into the referendum debate? Did Prime Minister Mark Carney open Pandora’s Box by saying “50 per cent plus one” in a referendum would not be enough for Quebec or Alberta to separate from Canada? That’s the question posed this week to constitutional lawyer … Read more

Sanity prevailed in latest language flap, but constant vigilance is needed on anglo rights. Quebec’s latest language flap was mercifully short-lived. One day after French language commissioner Benoît Dubreuil issued a report recommending the province reduce access to English content on government websites to ensure the content is available only to Quebecers with the “right” to see … Read more

To make his mark, Charles Milliard must dare to clash with the political orthodoxy of the moment. A Quebec Liberal leader faces inevitable dilemmas ahead of an election, having to balance a variety of interests. The party is a broad coalition of political convictions — liberals and conservatives, federalists and nationalists — enjoying entrenched support … Read more

It’s disingenuous for Christine Fréchette to use the late premier as a crutch. Same old, same old. The well-worn adage could not be any truer when it comes to the recent change of Coalition Avenir Québec leadership. All those of us so totally exhausted and upset by the obsessive priority given to identity wedge politics … Read more

There might be a new premier in Quebec, but according to former NDP leader and Quebec Liberal cabinet minister Tom Mulcair, it’s the same old, same old CAQ coming out of the National Assembly. ”This is where I see (premier) Christine Fréchette playing the same old games, a very divisive approach to politics, and I … Read more

Le projet de loi 1 semble s’inscrire dans le climat de division propre à notre époque peu généreuse. Les sociétés fonctionnent mieux lorsqu’elles parviennent à maintenir un certain sens de l’unité, au-delà des querelles inutiles, des griefs amplifiés et d’une politique devenue excessivement conflictuelle.   « On peut être en désaccord sans être désagréable », tel était le … Read more

The “third way” is an illusion — a comforting fantasy for many Quebecers who would rather avoid making a choice. “An independent Quebec within a strong Canada” is how Yvon Deschamps, the province’s legendary standup comic, once summed up Quebecers’ preferred political future.  This is the so-called “third way” — neither separatist nor federalist — … Read more

It’s been an honour to serve as Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada. Here are my closing thoughts, says Raymond Théberge. As my mandate as Commissioner of Official Languages draws to a close, there is no question that Canada is facing many challenges. Economic hardship, international turmoil and conflicts abound, and the tectonic plates of … Read more

The new year can be expected to be just as tumultuous as the last, but we can find some welcome counterweights to the despair many have felt. If past is prologue, can the English-speaking community of Quebec be optimistic as it stares into a 2026 expected to be just as tumultuous as 2025? In one … Read more

Many in the province are tired of language issues being politicized. Are we all a disgrace in the eyes of Premier François Legault? When someone overreacts to another’s remarks, it’s often because there’s a sting of truth in there somewhere. And in this moment, masks often slip. Premier François Legault’s over-the-top reaction to newly minted federal Minister … Read more

Experts are raising red flags that Bill 1 would reinforce the power of the state at the expense of the people — the opposite of what constitutions are supposed to do. For a bill touted as the “law of laws,” the Legault government’s proposed constitution for Quebec has so far resulted in the spilling of … Read more

Steve Kaufmann, a linguist and podcaster, says he’s impressed by the level of bilingualism among anglos when he visits his native Montreal. We collectively spend so much time arguing over language and language legislation in Quebec that when I had the opportunity to sit down with Steve Kaufmann, a linguist and polyglot who speaks more … Read more

There is something foreboding about a provincial government that violates two of the fundamental human rights in Canada’s Constitution – freedom of conscience and religion, and freedom of expression – and then announces that it wants to write its own constitution. It portends a document that will divide people along politically drawn lines. That is … Read more

I suspect most of us yearn for a little positivity these days. Looking at our political landscape, happy news seems in painfully short supply. Even Wednesday’s provincial cabinet shuffle was cause for disappointment. As legislators gather next week in Ottawa and now Sept. 30 in Quebec City, the English-speaking community faces fraught terrain. In Quebec, … Read more

University campuses across Quebec have come alive with students arriving for a new academic year. Some of them have chosen to move from cities like Calgary, Toronto or Vancouver to study — a decision made more difficult by Quebec’s current tuition policy. In 2023, the Quebec government imposed a steep tuition hike on out-of-province students. Though … Read more

The Burgundy Lion roared, and Office québécois de la langue française inspectors timidly backed off. By Robert Libman. Well, maybe it wasn’t exactly like that, but Toby Lyle, co-owner of the Notre-Dame St. pub, respectfully pushed back when the language watchdog asked him to change his sign to make it more French. He contested, with common … Read more