Opinion

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

Notre intervention aujourd’hui en surprendra certes plusieurs. Notre histoire commune, notre désir aussi de poursuivre cette histoire commune, nous donne la force de surmonter nos différences et d’appeler à rendre le Québec meilleur. Par Frédéric Lapointe, président du MNQ, et Eva Ludvig, présidente de TALQ Le Mouvement national des Québécoises et Québécois (MNQ) et l’organisation … Read more

We are unlikely partners. But shared history has brought us together, and a desire to make some history keeps us working together to express a common and powerful desire for a better Quebec. By Frédéric Lapointe, MNQ President, and Eva Ludvig, TALQ President  The Mouvement national des Québécoises et Québécois and TALQ (formerly the Quebec … Read more

Four major Quebec universities are proposing initiatives to make the province a landing spot for high-level researchers and urged the federal and provincial government to step up at a unique moment to attract talent from around the globe. “As political and social tensions weaken the global research ecosystem, Quebec and Canada have a unique opportunity … Read more

Politics, they say, makes strange bedfellows. A recent convergence of thoughtful progressive voices on our shared future in Quebec may prove transformative for the relationship between wider Quebec society and minority communities. These developments could have far-reaching — and mostly positive — consequences for our collective life in this wonderful, if at times frustrating, province … Read more

The question of whether English-speaking Quebecers should stay or go has been raised again, now in a despairing April 11 Gazette column by Toula Drimonis, who recounted the story of a bilingual allophone tired of feeling like an enemy in her own home. It’s a familiar tale. As a board member at the Quebec Community … Read more

Presenting the Quebec budget on March 25, Finance Minister Eric Girard, who is also the minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers, announced that the Quebec government would receive $343 million from the federal government over the next four years aimed at funding education and other services for the English-speaking community. According to the budget, … Read more