More members of Quebec’s English-language community have in recent days added their voices to reject the plan by Premier François Legault to limit government services in English to his restrictive definition of “historic anglophones” – only persons eligible to attend primary and secondary school in English in Quebec. The National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network is utterly dismayed with the Quebec government’s decision to cancel funding for construction a new pavilion at Dawson College. The long-planned and long-delayed proposal to build a new facility to house Dawson College’s seven health-care training programs on the college’s campus was quashed on Friday when administrators received an unexpected … Read more
As opposition and concern grows over Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec, the QCGN continues its series of webinars helping Quebecers understand the implications of language legislation. In this webinar, former senator and journalist André Pratte and independent journalist Christopher Curtis will review the Bill’s progress through the … Read more
Despite strong objections from the English-speaking community that included a 4,500-name petition tabled in the National Assembly, the Quebec government has eviscerated the Provincial Committee for the Provision of Health Services and Social Services in the English Language. The government is now recruiting replacement members. “Two days before the petition was tabled in the National … Read more
More than three dozen organizations are telling Premier François Legault that his restrictive definition of an historic English-language community is unfair and unacceptable. These groups, from across Quebec and from multiple sectors including arts and culture, education and health and social services have endorsed a resolution opposing the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s plan to limit … Read more
As the 44th Canadian Parliament of the House of Commons gets under way, the Quebec Community Groups Network welcomes the opportunity to work with the new Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, and Francophone minority communities from across Canada to modernize the Official Languages Act, legislation that is critical to the vitality of our … Read more
Community leaders from many regions and political leaders from all levels of government continue to endorse an open letter from English-speaking Quebecers to Premier François Legault that rejects his plan to limit government services in English to his restrictive definition of “historic anglophones” – that is those eligible to attend school in English in Quebec. … Read more
No apology can undo the lasting damage that the CEO of Air Canada has inflicted on Quebec’s English-speaking community and the core national value of linguistic duality. “Air Canada employs many Francophones and is obliged to communicate with the public in both official languages,” says Marlene Jennings, President of the Quebec Community Groups Network. “However, … Read more
English-speaking Quebecers are proud Quebecers who reject the Coalition Avenir Québec’s decision to label our community as “historic anglophones” and its plan to limit government services in our own language to citizens who are eligible to attend English schools. That is the message 96 English-speaking Quebecers signed in an open letter to Premier François Legault. … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network today congratulated Ginette Petitpas Taylor on her appointment as Canada’s new Minister of Official Languages and offered our keen assistance in her new portfolio. We also congratulated her predecessor, Mélanie Joly, on her promotion to Minister of Foreign Affairs. Read more
Following months of repeated assurances to the contrary, Quebec Premier François Legault this morning confirmed that under Bill 96, he intends to restrict access to Quebec government services in English to members of the English-speaking community eligible to receive English education under Bill 101. Among the effects, this would remove the existing right to access … Read more
As the Quebec Government prepares for the start of a new session tomorrow, we urge it once again to take a step back and bring Quebecers together to identify challenges, to separate myths from realities and, most importantly, to build a consensus on the best path forward to promote French in Quebec. If, on the … Read more
On Tuesday, September 28, QCGN President Marlene Jennings, QCGN legal counsel Marion Sandilands, former Minister Clifford Lincoln, and human rights lawyer Pearl Eliadis appeared before the Committee on Culture and Education to present their brief on Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec. Read our brief Consult our opening … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network is urging the Quebec Government to withdraw Bill 96 and take the time needed to build a consensus on how to best promote French as Quebec’s common language. Appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education Tuesday, the QCGN also raised significant concerns about the proposed unilateral amendment … Read more
Canadians have voted, and the results from the 44th federal election are in! The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) wishes to thank all candidates, political parties, and volunteers for the work they put into the election, and those who took the time to vote. “We extend our congratulations to the Liberal Party of Canada, which … Read more
Today marks the start of hearings of the National Assembly Committee on Culture and Education on Bill 96, An Act Respecting French, the Official and Common Language of Québec. This represents a critical part of our democratic process even though regrettably only a very limited number of Quebecers have been asked to share their views … Read more
Kevin Shaar, vice-President of the QCGN, delivers the closing remarks on the final day of the QCGN’s Public Hearings on Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec. Read more
As Canadians head to the polls Monday, English-speaking Quebecers are confronted with an unprecedented set of proposed violations of our fundamental rights and freedoms. Unfortunately, few candidates and none of the main political parties have pledged to defend our community from these recent attacks – or to safeguard Canada’s linguistic duality. Read more
When it adopted the Charter of the French Language more than 40 years ago, the Quebec National Assembly embraced an enduring and essential commitment: to pursue the Charter’s objectives “in a spirit of fairness and open-mindedness, respectful of the institutions of the English-speaking community of Quebec, and respectful of the ethnic minorities, whose valuable contribution … Read more
QCGN President Marlene Jennings delivers her opening remarks to kick off the first of the QCGN’s four days of Public Hearings on Bill 96, An Act respecting the French language, the official and common language of Quebec. Read full speech
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) is inviting a wide cross-section of Quebecers to express their concerns and present recommen, dations on Bill 96An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec, which aims to enforce and reinforce the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101). The National Assembly’s special consultations and public hearings … Read more
With Canadians scheduled to go to the polls September 20, the Quebec Community Groups Network calls on all federal parties and candidates to commit to support the language rights of English-speaking Quebecers. “We are opposed to the Government of Quebec’s pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause to suspend the fundamental freedoms, legal, and equality rights … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) is deeply disappointed that the Government of Quebec is severely limiting participation in public hearings on Bill 96 and that it did not issue a wider invitation to Quebecers. Instead, government officials pre-selected participants with a strong bias in favour of the legislation. The Committee on Culture and Education … Read more
The members of the elected Board of Directors of the Regional Association of West Quebecers (RAWQ) issue the following statement on the official languages of Québec and Canada. Canada is a country constituted of ten provinces and three territories. We support an Official Languages Act of Canada that recognizes two official languages, English and French, … Read more
While English-speaking Quebecers express a greater sense of attachment to Canada and French-speaking Quebecers say they are more attached to Quebec, both possess similar levels of attachment to their respective language communities and to their cities, towns, or regions. Results from a survey conducted by Léger Marketing for the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and … Read more