Legislation is more about command and control than care and compassion. The Quebec Community Groups Network thanks the more than 6,400 Quebecers who signed a petition demanding the provincial government put the brakes on Bill 15 – a hefty and complex piece of legislation that will massively centralize our health and social services networks. “We … Read more
There is fresh urgency to sign a petition demanding the Quebec government slam the brakes on its massive Bill 15, which is designed to create a vast centralization of our health and social-services network. The imperative arrives in the form of a last-minute, government-proposed amendment, suspended for the moment, that would give its new central … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network takes issue with a report released this morning by Bloc Québécois MP Mario Beaulieu in which he condemns legitimate federal support for the vitality of our minority-language community as nothing more than support for the anglicization of Quebec. It is a false equivalency. Support for Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network urges all Quebecers to quickly sign a petition demanding the provincial government put an immediate hold on its proposed Bill 15, which would launch a massive centralization of health-care management and dramatically reduce community roles in the governance of health and social services institutions everywhere in Quebec. Read more Sign … Read more
More than 150 concerned Quebecers attended a Quebec Community Groups Network webinar on Wednesday, November 9 on the anticipated impact of Bill 15, An Act to make the health and social services system more effective. Moderated by former reporter Elysia Bryan-Baynes, webinar speakers were Quebec Liberal Health Critic André Fortin; health care advocate Eric Maldoff; … Read more
The Committee has been authorized to examine and report on minority-language health services, including matters related to the inclusion of language clauses in federal health transfer. Our brief augments the brief submitted by Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) on May 1st, 2023, and will focus on the inclusion of language clauses in federal … Read more
The QCGN makes an appearance as a witness for the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology’s study of Bill C-35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada. Read more Watch a recording of the hearing
The Quebec Community Groups Network is alarmed that a recent move by the government of Premier François Legault to hike tuition fees for out-of-province students will spur young English-speaking Quebecers to leave the province. And it will stop talented young people in other provinces and beyond from coming here. Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) congratulates Members of Parliament who have been appointed or re-appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries in the Trudeau government. Parliamentary secretaries serve as key representatives of the government, assisting their Ministers in the House and committees. Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network applauds a landmark Quebec Superior Court decision that strongly affirms the Constitutional minority language educational rights of Canadians. In a far-reaching 129-page decision rendered this afternoon, Superior Court Justice Sylvain Lussier struck down parts of Quebec’s Education Act that, as amended by Bill 40, eliminated school boards and transferred decisional … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) looks forward to working with Randy Boissonnault, the newly appointed Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages. We also welcome the appointment of Anita Anand as the new President of the Treasury Board. Both have key leadership roles in the implementation of recent changes to the Official Languages … Read more
Reflecting on our place in Quebec and Canada, the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) concluded its 28th annual meeting Saturday resolved to continue to serve as a strong and unifying voice for English-speaking Quebecers. We met under the theme #OuiOurQuebec – Our Community, Our Province, Our Quebec! More than 150 members and stakeholders expressed their … Read more
The lives and prospects of some 1,500 vulnerable young people and seniors across English-speaking Quebec have been tangibly and substantially improved with completion of a second round of projects through the Community Innovation Fund (CIF). Managed through community partnerships, these CIF 2.0 projects have put $1.1 million of funding to work over the past three … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) has warned a Senate committee that Bill C-13 could have serious negative effects on Quebec’s English-speaking community and on Official Language Minority Communities across the country. The Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages is studying Bill C-13, An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages. The bill … Read more
Today, the House of Commons adopted C-13 at third reading, having adopted amendments to the legislation last week that are deeply troubling to the English-speaking community of Quebec. The bill now proceeds to the Senate, where our community hopes the Upper Chamber will closely study the inclusion of Quebec’s Charter of the French Language within … Read more
Canadian Parents for French welcomes the Government of Canada’s new Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration, launched on April 26 by the Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, accompanied by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “We are particularly pleased with this Action Plan’s emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and equity,” says Canadian Parents for French … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) welcomes the Government of Canada’s new Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration, launched today by Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, accompanied by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Prime Minister made special mention of the federal government’s continuing leadership role in protecting Quebec’s English-speaking communities: “We firmly believe … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network is cautiously optimistic about the federal government’s new Action Plan on official languages as outlined in new spending in today’s 2023 federal budget. The budget includes an additional $1 billion in official-language community investments over the next five years. Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network welcomes the allocation of $31.5 million in support of Quebec’s English-speaking community in today’s provincial budget. “The Quebec government has taken a further step to support English-speaking Quebecers and their community groups,” said QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge, who was in Quebec City for the budget speech. Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (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. During the committee’s clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-13, An Act to amend … Read more
Non-profit organizations serving English-speaking Quebecers are seriously underfunded compared with francophone groups and thus often unable to provide important and sometimes essential services. That is among the messages the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and other community stakeholders brought to Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard during a pre-budget consultation this afternoon in Quebec City. Read … Read more
The Government of Canada’s Bill C-13 continues to progress slowly through the legislative process in Ottawa. Introduced in March 2022, C-13 now sits with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages, which began its first of eight meetings for clause-by-clause consideration of the legislation on December 13th. Barring anything extraordinary, the Committee is … Read more
Quebecers, both French and English, agree that English-speaking Quebecers should have equal access to government services in their own language. This is one of the conclusions of polling conducted for the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN). Read more Click here for full poll results
English-speaking Quebecers strongly believe the federal government must do more to support and safeguard their rights. This is underscored by recent polling conducted for the Quebec Community Groups Network. It is further supported by more than 1,600 signatures on an open letter opposed to proposed sweeping changes to the Official Languages Act that would severely … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) is pleased that members of the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages have heard the concerns raised by English-speaking Quebec about the government of Canada’s Bill C-13. This important bill is designed to update the Official Languages Act. In its report released this afternoon, the committee states: “the Official … Read more