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
Results from a survey done by Léger Marketing for the Quebec Community Groups Network and the Association for Canadian Studies reveal that attachment to one’s language community is equally important to Quebec’s English and French speakers. Beyond that, differences persist in the degree to which French and English speakers are attached to Quebec relative to … Read more
In reaction to the tabling of Bill C-32, Townshippers’ Association issued a press release recognizing that while the legislation goes a long way in terms of increasing the recognition and support of Canada’s French-speaking communities inside and outside of Quebec, Quebec’s English-speaking minority community has cause to remain deeply concerned. “How will this piece of … Read more
Bill 96 is a wide-ranging and complex piece of legislation. It represents a significant overhaul of Quebec’s legal system. It amends the Charter of the French Language (“CFL”), 24 other provincial statutes, one regulation, and the Constitution Act, 1867. Go to the QCGN’s analysis of Bill 96
The Quebec Community Groups Network is sickened by the heinous murder of five Muslims Sunday in London, Ontario. The fear and hatred that fueled this senseless act of Islamophobia has no place in Canadian society. Every Canadian has a sacred and inherent freedom of conscience and religion. No person, no group, and no government can … Read more
The Townshippers’ Association hosted its 41st Annual General Meeting this Friday June 4th, 2021, with 34 members, guests, and stakeholders in attendance. For a second year in a row, the Association provided a summary of the last year’s activities via videoconference and the business meeting was followed by the unveiling of the winners of this year’s Young … Read more
(Audio) Quebec’s Bill 96, which comes with generous use of the notwithstanding clause, would entrench the French language as the only official language of the province and open up the Constitution to recognize the province as a nation. That brings up a number of questions: What about Quebec anglophones and their rights? Can a province … Read more
A strong majority of Canadians outside Quebec and a significant minority within this province are concerned about the proposed unilateral amendment to the Canadian Constitution affirming that Quebec is a nation and that its official language is French. That is the finding of a national survey on amending the Constitution and recognizing the Quebec nation … Read more
The results of the poll were collected via a web panel conducted by Léger for the Quebec Community Groups Network and the Association for Canadian Studies among a sample of 1623 Canadians, 18 years of age or older from May 21 to May 23, 2021. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of 1623 respondents would … Read more
Non-Francophones hold widely diverging views from French-speaking Quebecers on Bill 96, which aims to enforce and reinforce the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101). A majority of Anglophones and Allophones also believe the debate over the proposed legislation will strain relations between the majority and minority communities. That is one of the findings of … Read more
The results of the poll were collected via a web panel conducted by Léger for the Quebec Community Groups Network and the Association for Canadian Studies among a sample of 1501 Quebecers, 18 years of age or older from May 14 to 19, 2021. The survey included a sample of 573 Quebecers with languages other … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network deeply regrets that proposed changes to the Charter of the French Language override fundamental human rights and will erode the vitality of our English-speaking minority community. “The proposed legislative changes are more far-reaching than we could have ever imagined,” QCGN President Marlene Jennings said following a quick review of Bill … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network is alarmed that Premier François Legault foreshadowed that the Quebec government may invoke the notwithstanding clause to limit the linguistic rights of English-speaking Quebecers. “The QCGN was already concerned about what the government will propose to enforce and reinforce the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) and his comment … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network welcomes today’s Superior Court ruling which declares that Quebec’s secularism law – An Act Respecting the laicity of the State – violates Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms regarding minority education rights. In a landmark ruling for Quebec’s English-speaking community, Justice Marc-André Blanchard declares the legislation … Read more
Provincial Budget Prioritizes Health, Education, and Economic Recovery The Quebec Community Groups Network is pleased that Quebec’s budget will strengthen the capacity of community organizations to serve Quebec’s English-speaking minority community by, notably, maintaining and enhancing the network of wellness centres and implementing an employability strategy. The 2021-2022 expenditure budget for the program to strengthen … Read more
What have we’ve been up to… Consultation of and dialogue with organizations and stakeholders to move toward a strategic development plan for Quebec’s English-speaking community. This has allowed us to develop a shared understanding of what communities need for vitality and start building consensus with organizations and stakeholders by focusing on common challenges to community … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) shares the concerns of the English Parents’ Committee Association (EPCA) and the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) about new tutoring services for Quebec students during the pandemic. Last week, Education Minister Jean-François Roberge unveiled new investments in tutoring for Quebec students using online platforms. He announced funding for … Read more
The Facing Common Challenges for a More Vital Community Consultation was held on December 1, 2020 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. via Zoom with 72 stakeholders in attendance. During the consultation we reviewed the primary themes and challenges identified in the first year of the Community Growth Plan before introducing our objectives for year 2. The first objective is to have a mobilization strategy developed by community partners working in concert. This strategy is to allow stakeholders … Read more