Announcing details of the new federal Action Plan for Official Languages, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau singles out French speakers as the only minority group in danger in Canada. “We remain concerned that the French-language charter (of Quebec) is included” in the dramatically reformulated Official Languages Act, Bill C-13, which currently incorporates Quebec’s Bill 96 and … Read more
Despite a planned increase in funds directed to official language minority communities from the federal government, there is no guarantee that this will benefit Quebec’s English-speaking community, says QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge. “How much English-speaking Quebecers will benefit from the official language investments in this budget is an open question. We hope to see … Read more
The QCGN is “apprehensive” about the agreement between the federal and Quebec governments which implements aspects of the Charter of the French Language within Bill C-13, says QCGN President Eva Ludvig. “At the risk of sounding cynical, the provincial government has not been a champion for the English-speaking community.” Read more
QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge joins CBC Montreal’s Sudha Krishnan to discuss Bill 15, Quebec’s proposed reform of the health system, and the concerns many in the English-speaking community have about these proposed reforms (Interview begins at 18:10). Watch here
“On the one hand, the Quebec government welcomes international organizations and institutions — and their jobs and dollars — with open arms,” writes Matt Aronson, secretary of the Board of the QCGN: “Meanwhile, on the other hand, the government treats the presence of English in Montreal as something to be actively discouraged and barely tolerated.” … Read more
QCGN President Eva Ludvig explains that English- and French-speaking community associations and groups had been in agreement about what the modernization of the Official Languages Act stood for. “It’s when requests and demands from the Quebec government started being incorporated into it through amendments and through the latest version of the bill [that] things started … Read more
Townshippers’ Association co-founder Marjorie Goodfellow is recognized by the Office of the Commissioner for Official Languages for her 40 years of advocacy for the rights of Quebec’s English-speaking community. She encourages anyone who wishes to participate in protecting the rights of English-speaking Quebecers to write to their Member of Parliament, “and support the Quebec Community … Read more
The Liberal MPs who have spoken out against mention of the Charter of the French Language in Bill C-13 have undeservedly raised the ire of many in the French-language media, writes former QCGN president Marlene Jennings. Rather than accusing these MPs of spreading disinformation, critics “should focus their attention on the issues being raised.” Read … Read more
Alix Adrien, a longtime educator and QCGN board member, is named one of the CBC’s Black Changemakers of 2023. Now president of the Quebec Board of Black Educators, Adrien brought an infectious passion to the classroom during his teaching days, as well as patience and understanding for students in difficult situations. Read more
Columnist Michel C. Auger accuses the QCGN, Liberal MPs, and other community organizations advocating for English-speaking Quebecers of spreading misinformation about the Charter of the French Language amid the ongoing debate around the federal Bill C-13. Read more
QCGN President Eva Ludvig thanks the Liberal MPs who “have been very courageous and taking political risk” by defending Quebec’s English-speaking during the study of Bill C-13. Listen here
The Montreal Gazette is “an English language institution,” and a plan to cut a significant portion of the newsroom means that English-speaking Quebecers “will be losing an important voice for the community,” says QCGN President Eva Ludvig. Read more
Including references to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language within the federal government’s Bill C-13 sets a precedent for other provinces in the rest of Canada to use the notwithstanding clause to the detriment of francophone minority communities, warns QCGN President Eva Ludvig. Watch here
QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge speaks to The Montrealer about the QCGN’s work in advocating for Quebec’s English-speaking community on the provincial and federal levels, and how the organization has evolved in recent years as linguistic issues have returned to the spotlight. Read more
The QCGN is profoundly disappointed that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages has allowed references to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language to remain in proposed new federal language legislation to amend Canada’s Official Languages Act, reads an open letter from the QCGN in the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. Read more
The concerns about the protection of the rights of English-speaking Quebecers in Bill C-13 voiced by the Quebec Community Groups Network, among others, “have been courageously brought forward in Ottawa by several Montreal Liberal MPs,” reads a piece by the Montreal Gazette Editorial Board. To see these MPs being chastised by fellow Parliamentarians and several … Read more
A petition calling for planned cuts to the Montreal Gazette newsroom is being circled widely across Quebec’s English-speaking community. “The Gazette provides the perspective of the English-speaking community and to all Quebecers,” says QCGN President Eva Ludvig. Read more
Contrary to what some political commentators have claimed, the attempt by Liberal MPs to remove mention of the Charter of the French Language from Bill C-13 was an attempt to correct a serious flaw in the bill that would have constitutional effects for linguistic minorities across the country, and not the act of a “crusade … Read more
Former QCGN and Townshippers’ Association President Gerald Cutting provides a personal perspective on language politics in Quebec in a commentary for The Townships Sun. Read more
English-speaking Quebecers count on the federal government for recognition and support, QCGN President Eva Ludvig tells the Toronto Star. The reference to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language within the federal Bill C-13 “erodes that notion of equality [and] of support by the federal government”. Read more
“This is a major setback for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers,” says QCGN President Eva Ludvig of the recognition of the Charter of the French Language within Bill C-13. The Standing Committee on Official Languages had rejected proposals from Liberal committee members to remove reference to the Charter in C-13, while proposals by the Bloc … Read more
The Liberal proposal to remove mention of the Charter of the French Language from Bill C-13 was shut down in committee by opposition parties on Friday. “Despite the best efforts of many Liberal MPs led by Anthony Housefather, Patricia Lattanzio, and Marc Garneau, it is clear to us that the deck is stacked against English-speaking … Read more
With the dramatic changes proposed to the federal Official Languages Act, the language rights of the English-speaking community in Quebec are currently being treated with disdain by both the federal government and the majority francophone community in the province, Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), tells ONfr. Geneviève Tellier, a … Read more
QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge says that the action group created by Quebec French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge should consult with English-speaking Quebecers before taking concrete steps to further protect French. Watch here
While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent criticism of the use of the notwithstanding clause by the governments of Quebec and Ontario is admirable, “English-speaking Quebeckers remain worried that the federal government is embracing proactive use of the notwithstanding clause through its proposed update of the Official Languages Act,” reads a letter from QCGN President Eva … Read more