November 17, 2020 – We were six long-time friends who would gather regularly for breakfast at Barbie‘s in Dorval. COVID-19 not only put an end to the breakfasts, but sadly closed Barbie’s for good. When we last met, there was one empty chair. Pat Rourke had left us some time before, after a prolonged battle … Read more
November 16, 2020 – Advocates for and officials at Quebec’s English-language school boards are sounding the alarm over the fast-approaching election date to fill any seats that weren’t filled by acclamation this fall. The province quietly announced late Friday that those elections would be held on Dec. 19 and 20. They were originally scheduled for … Read more
November 16, 2020 – Premier François Legault says he believes elections for Quebec’s English school boards can be conducted safely in December despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Legault said Monday that public health has fully endorsed the idea of allowing the vote to take place even if it said the opposite in October. Read more
November 14, 2020 – After postponing English school board elections on the advice of public health officials, the Quebec government has done an about-face and announced voting at some English boards will take place five days before Christmas. Although most positions on the council of commissioners were filled by acclamation in October, the important positions of board … Read more
November 14, 2020 – Quebec’s Ministry of Education decided English school board elections will go ahead despite previously postponing them due to COVID-19 health concerns. The government originally postponed the November English school board elections back in October due to public health recommendations. Affected school boards were however informed Friday evening that despite the continuous … Read more
November 14, 2020 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is speaking out against the province for what it calls “disdain for the democratic process” following a surprise announcement that schoolboard elections will be held in December. “Given the urgency of this communication we are, exceptionally, writing to you today in English,” wrote QESBA … Read more
November 14, 2020 – Two English-language school and community groups are demanding the Quebec government backtrack on its decision to go ahead with school board elections despite the pandemic. Last month, Quebec’s premier announced the elections would be postponed, without specifying when they would take place. Read more
November 11, 2020 – The newly elected president of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) says she wants to rebuild ties with regional anglophone associations that bolted from the organization last year. Marlene Jennings, 69, beat incumbent president Geoffrey Chambers in a vote of representatives from member organizations gathered in an online annual general meeting … Read more
November 9, 2020 – Last Thursday, members from across the English-speaking community elected me as new president of the Quebec Community Groups Network — at a critical time in our organization’s 25-year history. I am humbled by their confidence and trust. Congratulations to my fellow board members for stepping up to serve our linguistic minority … Read more
November 6, 2020 – After a challenging year that saw many of its members resign, newly elected Quebec Community Groups Network president Marlene Jennings says she’s ready to rebuild bridges and reach out to anglophones across the province. Jennings was elected president at the QCGN’s annual general meeting Thursday evening. A former Liberal MP who … Read more
November 6, 2020 – Marlene Jennings, newly elected President of the Quebec Community Groups Network, speaks to CJAD’s Aaron Rand. Listen here
Marlene Jennings’ time as the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) trustee is coming to an end this Thursday at midnight, but she’s already taking on new challenges. Jennings, a former Liberal MP, was elected president of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) — a non-profit umbrella organization bringing together English-language organizations across Quebec — during … Read more
November 6, 2020 – The Quebec Community Groups Network, a network of English-speaking groups across the province, has a new president. Former Liberal MP Marlene Jennings was elected Thursday night. As Global’s Tim Sargeant reports, there are plenty of files Jennings plans to tackle starting with improving relations with other Anglophone groups. Read more
November 5, 2020 – A year after members of the Quebec Community Groups Network resigned citing issues with the network’s leadership, the organization has elected Marlene Jennings as its new president. The network held its annual general meeting Thursday evening, highlighting some of its priorities for the year. Read more
November 5, 2020 – It’s a busy week for Marlene Jennings. Completing her mandate as trustee of the English Montreal School Board, winning the presidency of the Quebec Community Groups Network, and on the eve of her 69th birthday next week, the former Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine MP is looking to the future of Quebec’s English speaking minority. … Read more
By Geoffrey Chambers The focus of most Quebecers remains the pandemic, a safe return of our children to school and the reopening of our economy. However, our government appears to have shifted its focus to language. And as it does so, it is once again minimizing the importance of the contributions to this province by … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network applauded a Quebec Superior Court decision to suspend the application of Quebec government reforms to the governance of English school boards while the courts review the constitutionality of Bill 40: An Act to amend mainly the Education Act with regard to school organization and governance. Read more
QCGN President Geoffrey Chambers, who worked for the No camp during the 1980 referendum on Quebec sovereignty, said the English community was fairly united on the No side, but in other communities “there were families in which you couldn’t talk about it.” Read more
Anxiety levels surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic vary based not just on where people live in Quebec, but also on their mother tongue, a web survey conducted by Léger Marketing has found. Allophone and anglophone respondents are much more likely to fear that they or somebody in their immediate family will catch the disease than francophones are, the … Read more
by Geoffrey Chambers, President of the Quebec Community Groups Network The Government of Quebec determined it was a public health imperative that a detailed 24-page guide providing Quebecers with critical information on best practices in dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency be delivered to every household. This was done, at substantial cost, because every … Read more
By Geoffrey Chambers, President of the Quebec Community Groups Network The government of Quebec determined it was a public health imperative that a detailed 24-page guide providing Quebecers with critical information on best practices in dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency be delivered to every household. This was done, at substantial cost, because … Read more
The phone has been ringing quite a bit at the Family Resource Centre in Pierrefonds “Over this week, I’m sure we’ve received easily over 100 calls,” said Ron Swan, executive director of the Family Resource Centre, which helps families and children dealing with behavioural issues. Read more
QUEBEC — It is one of those ironies of politics that a leader can look at his or her best when things are at their worst. As the COVID-19 crisis rocks the planet, Premier François Legault finds himself in just that position. Suddenly even anglophones who did not vote for the Coalition Avenir Québec in the 2018 … Read more
Montreal, March 10, 2020 – The Quebec Community Groups Network welcomes the injection of an additional $18.8 million into the Secretariat for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers over the next five years. This commitment promises to assist a sizeable number of English-speaking Quebecers, but other community needs remain unanswered. In particular, the QCGN applauds new measures to sustain existing … Read more
By Geoffrey Chambers and Gerald Cutting, QCGN Last fall, the government of Premier François Legault conducted a round of consultations with English-speaking Quebecers. A range of voices from across the English-speaking community laid out specific and very reasonable actions we need from his government. The process proved positive to the extent that it opened a … Read more