Opinion

Voters stopped short of giving Paul St-Pierre Plamondon a strong mandate to hold a referendum. Will he listen to democracy? The lessons from the not-so-distant past may have been lingering in the back of voters’ minds Monday when Quebecers elected the Parti Québécois to a minority government. Flashback to 1994. A week before the election … Read more

During Radio Noon, reporter Gabriel Guindy recapped a watch party at TALQ attended by representatives from a range of associations serving Quebec’s English-speaking community. While participants were not surprised by the PQ victory, there was a sense of relief when a minority government was announced, along with a shared hope that the new government will … Read more

Eva Ludvig appears on CJAD’s Andrew Carter morning show to discuss the concerns of the English-speaking community as the Provincial Election based on an Op-Ed published in The Gazette. “Especially interesting now,” says Andrew Carter, “because we sometimes feel like second-class animals in Quebec. Your thoughts?”  Among other things said, Eva Ludvig reiterates that TALQ, … Read more

The English-speaking community is not asking to stand apart; we are asking to participate fully in Quebec society.   It has been a rough election campaign for Quebec’s English-speaking community. For much of the campaign, we have struggled to be heard in the political conversation. There was no English-language leaders’ debate. And when the focus … Read more

English-speaking Quebecers are voting to make ourselves heard after recent language policy changes.   On Sunday afternoon, I headed down to the advance poll in my riding to exercise my rights. Not only did I get a jump on voting in the Oct. 5 election, discharging a democratic right that only comes around roughly every … Read more

  Eva Ludvig, president of TALQ, as well as Robert Libman, Taylor Noakes and Donal Gill speak with Shawn Apel about how the English-speaking community is feeling ignored and forgotten during this Election campaign. Callers weigh in and provide their perspectives on the issue as well. Listen to the full broadcast (49 minutes).

With no English-language debate and a legal controversy over English information on voter cards, some English-speaking Quebecers are calling for more attention to their concerns in this election.   This is Montreal producer Rebecca Ugolini joins Ainslie MacLellan to look at how English-speaking groups have tried to assert themselves on the political scene over the … Read more

Interview with Eva Ludvig, President of TALQ The Quebec Superior Court has ordered Élection Québec to prepare election reminder cards in both English and French following a legal challenge. TALQ supported this challenge and its president, Eva Ludvig, says the decision represents progress for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers and their access to electoral information. … Read more

On Radio-Canada’s Votre Retour, investigative reporter Violette Cantin examines concerns within Quebec’s English-speaking community ahead of the provincial election. Dawson College students told her they fear restrictions on English CEGEPs and universities could dramatically change Montreal’s multicultural character and the institutions as they know them. Another major concern is the decision to send voter information … Read more

In no way can I see the CAQ as a valid and credible alternative to the PQ, but rather a choice between flood and fire. I have been very surprised, indeed shaken, by the significant number of traditional Liberal supporters who, given the colourless start by the Quebec Liberal Party and its leader, have indicated … Read more

The Supreme Court of Canada has set out clear rules for what legislated documents must be produced in English and French. In its announcement this week that voting information would be sent out in French only, Élections Québec pointed the finger at the Coalition Avenir Québec and indicated the government’s language reforms under Bill 96 … Read more

Like gerrymandering in the U.S., it could be viewed as an attempt to to disenfranchise some voters, in this case anglos.   The practice of gerrymandering — or manipulating electoral boundaries to the unfair advantage of one group or party — has a long history in the United States. The term was first coined in … Read more

Groups representing English-speakers in the province are critcizing the decision to make provincial election documents available in French only.   Quebec AM guest host Gordon Lambie spoke with TALQ president Eva Ludvig to find out why. Listen to the 9 minute interview by clicking the button below.

For the first time in a general election, voting information will only be mailed out in French. Élection Québec made the announcement in a press release today. We’ll speak about the details with Eva Ludvig, President of TALQ — formely known as the QCGN. Listen to the full story by clicking below. (9:00 minutes).

Sylvia Martin-Laforge speaks with Trudie Masson, guest host of the Elias Makos show on CJAD Radio. The conversation focuses on the optimism of another format of exchange between the leaders and the English-speaking community to address issues that are relevant. The two also spoke about how the community wishes to be spoken with rather than … Read more

  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