“Undermining official languages policy by protecting one linguistic minority in Canada and abandoning the linguistic minority in Quebec is shameful,” writes columnist Robert Libman, commenting on Bill C-13. He adds: “The Quebec Community Groups Network rightly identifies the proposed amendments as a threat to the language rights of the English-speaking minority and an unprecedented constitutional … Read more
English-language school boards must remain exempted from Bill 21, the Quebec Court of Appeal hears. “It is not up to the majority to dictate the definition of the culture of the minority,” says veteran human rights lawyer Julius Grey, who is representing the QCGN. Read more
Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, is receiving harsh criticism from English-speaking community advocacy groups in Quebec, including the QCGN. Groups express fear that the promotion of the French language comes at the expense of Quebec’s anglophone minority. “It’s not by giving new rights to one group and by taking it … Read more
Eric Girard speaks with CBC Montreal’s Debra Arbec about his new role as Minister Responsible for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers. Girard says that he plans to meet with the QCGN to discuss concerns surrounding provincial legislation seen as detrimental to the English-speaking community. Watch here
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard now also holds the role of minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers. “This appointment is a major first step in ensuring the concerns of English-speaking Quebecers are heard,” says QCGN President Eva Ludvig. Read more
Premier François Legault’s new cabinet appears to be smoothing the waters with English-speaking Quebecers, writes the Montreal Gazette’s Philip Authier. The QCGN welcomed the appointment of Finance Minister Eric Girard to the role of minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers. Read more
Though Premier Legault has said that he will likely retain the role of minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers, the QCGN has been calling for the appointment of a full-time minister, as Legault’s role as premier occupies the majority of his time. He is scheduled to announce his new cabinet at 2 pm. Read … Read more
Quebecers will have the chance to have a free 15-20 minute consultation with a lawyer during a province-wide bilingual legal clinic organized by the Jeune Barreau de Montréal, along with the Barreau du Québec and the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique. QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge praises the initiative: “The biggest challenge that an English … Read more
Andrew Caddell, president of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, points out: “[The QCGN] said last June, ‘In Bill C-13, the federal government is poised to abandon half a century of official language policy.’ By November, their wisdom will be long forgotten.” Read more
The QCGN calls for the appointment of a dedicated Minister Responsible for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers amid speculation on how the new provincial cabinet will be composed in the Coalition Avenir Québec’s second term. QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig says in a statement: “Members of our community feel that they are not being heard and … Read more
Notaries express concern over a measure included in Bill 96, which would require a French translation of notarized documents which had been drafted in English. The measure creates a two-tier system in which Anglophones “pay more, wait longer, [and] not have the equal services,” says QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig. Read more
There needs to be a dedicated Minister Responsible for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers in the National Assembly, says QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig. Premier François Legault had not dedicated the time necessary for such a role since he appointed himself to the position in 2018. Read more
The results over the past four years under a Coalition Avenir Québec government demonstrate that the English-speaking community needs a voice at the cabinet table with time to listen to the community’s concerns, and to act on them. Eva Ludvig of the QCGN underscores both the situation and the solution during a 10-minute interview with … Read more
Pointing out a “huge disconnect” between the Quebec government and the English-speaking population, the QCGN encourages the ruling Coalition Avenir Québec to appoint a dedicated Minister Responsible for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers. Read more
The future of the Quebec Conservative Party and party leader Éric Duhaime remains uncertain following Monday’s provincial election, in which the party won no seats in the National Assembly. “Mr. Duhaime was one of the few leaders who decided to speak to our community,” says QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig, referring to Duhaime’s appearance at … Read more
“It has been a difficult four years for the English-speaking community,” says QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig: “And going into the election, there were a lot of concerns and anxiety.” However, Ludvig adds that the few words of English spoken by Premier François Legault in his victory speech may represent a turning point in the … Read more
QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig speaks about the results of the 2022 Quebec election with Shawn Apel on CBC Radio Noon. “I’m very, very disappointed to see how our society is divided along language lines. That was very clear in the vote,” says Ludvig. Listen here
“We’ve gone from a symmetric approach to one that is now skewed towards the promoting of French,” says QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig on Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act. The QCGN has been adamant that the proposed federal language legislation would be detrimental to the vitality of English-language minority communities … Read more
Bill 96 will make Quebec less attractive for outsiders looking to bring business to the province, says Sylvia Martin-Laforge, executive director of the QCGN. “The business community is not shouting its opposition from the rooftops,” she adds. Read more
The Oct. 3 election matters for English-speaking Quebecers, writes QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig in an op-ed for the Montreal Gazette: “We urge them to get out and vote for the candidates who will stand up for our community in the National Assembly.” Read more
QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig says that Quebec’s political leaders missed the mark when it came to discussing Bill 96 at the Leaders’ debate last Thursday. “All the various ways that this community is impacted by the law was not discussed at all,” she says. Watch here
QCGN interim President Eva Ludvig remarks that years of linguistic peace have been put into question by Bill 96. “We thought this battle was behind us,” she says, pointing out that English-speaking Quebecers have accepted to live with Bill 101: “Now all of that is up in the air and we are worried.” Read more
Eva Ludvig, president of the Quebec Community Groups Network, expresses disappointment as Postmedia, owner of the Montreal Gazette and eight other daily newspapers across Canada, pulls the plug on Monday print editions. “It doesn’t look good for the future and that is unfortunate for those of us who are into our news,” she says. Seniors … Read more
After “20 or 30 years” of “linguistic peace,” many in Quebec’s English-speaking community are worried about the future, says QCGN interim president Eva Ludvig. Data from surveys on the QCGN’s website indicate that many fear that the concerns of the English-speaking community are not being taken into account by the provincial government. Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network hosts a series of virtual town halls with provincial party leaders ahead of the 2022 provincial election. The purpose of this series is to discuss electoral issues of importance to English-speaking Quebecers and our community’s place in Quebec. On Thursday, September 15, we heard from Balarama Holness, leader of the … Read more