Quebec’s plan to change English school boards into service centres has been put on ice temporarily after a Quebec Superior Court justice ruled that the plan raised “very serious questions” pertaining to the constitutionality of Bill 40. Justice Sylvain Lussier also ruled that the disappearance of English-language school boards (and their transformation into English-language school … Read more
As the economic recovery from COVID-19 begins, the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) has announced 10 innovative projects that will help vulnerable English-speaking youth and seniors find employment and fight isolation. A total of $1.1 million of fresh funding has been committed, via the renewal of the Community Innovation Fund (CIF) financed through the Government … Read more
In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court of Canada has given a generous and broad interpretation of Section 23 of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees minority language educational rights to French-speaking communities outside Quebec and to the English-speaking minority within Quebec. In the decision Chief Justice Richard Wagner states that “the … Read more
Quebec’s English-speaking minority seeks interlocutory injunction APPELE-Québec has endorsed the Quebec English School Boards Association’s (QESBA) constitutional challenge to Bill 40, An act to amend mainly the Education Act with regard to school organization and governance. The filing includes a request to the Superior Court of Quebec for an interlocutory injunction to suspend those provisions … Read more
It is more important to understand why there is a difference in reporting anxiety levels among Quebecers than to deflect, writes Jack Jedwab, President of the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS). An ACS/QCGN survey reveals that some 34 per cent of Quebec anglophones know someone who has been diagnosed with the virus compared with 21 … Read more
A new poll commissioned by the Quebec Community Groups Network and conducted by Leger shows anglophones and allophones are more worried than francophones about contracting COVID-19. When asked why he thinks angolphones fear catching the virus more than francophones, Legault suggested English media coverage may be to blame. Read more
A new poll shows that English speakers in Quebec are significantly more worried about COVID-19 than French speakers, and are almost twice as likely to wear a mask. Faced with these numbers on Wednesday, Legault lashed out at English-language media, saying at a press conference that the Montreal Gazette in particular “has a certain responsibility.” … Read more
English-speaking Quebecers are more likely than francophones to be afraid of contracting COVID-19 and more likely to know an infected person, according to a new Léger Marketing survey. The survey, commissioned by the Quebec Community Groups Network and the Association for Canadian Studies, found 68 per cent of anglophones polled were afraid of contracting COVID-19, … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network and the Association for Canadian Studies commissioned Léger Marketing to conduct a Web survey on COVID-19 and the perceptions of English-speaking Quebecers. Results indicate that English-speaking Quebecers are more afraid of getting the virus than their francophone counterparts and more likely to be afraid of an immediate family member getting … Read more
Following strong advocacy efforts by the Quebec Community Groups Network and others, the Government of Quebec has taken measures to deliver its COVID-19 Self-care Guide to the majority of English-speaking Quebecers. The Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers, Christopher Skeete, told CJAD’s Aaron Rand yesterday afternoon that the government will mail … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network believes that during this unprecedented crisis, it is essential that members of linguistic minority communities have access to quality information in our language. In response, QCGN’s team has created an online information tool that provides access to reliable information in English from trusted sources. Our coronavirus response hub, put together by QCGN … Read more
Last fall, representatives of the QCGN attended the community consultation sessions organized by the Secretariat for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers. The QCGN maintains that while the consultation opened a dialogue, the process addressed surface symptoms. It largely failed to identify specific pragmatic solutions – in language instruction, health care, education, and elsewhere – required to … Read more
APPELE-Québec announced today that representatives of Quebec’s English-speaking community will be launching a court challenge to Bill 40; An Act to amend mainly the Education Act with regard to school organization and governance. The Alliance for the Promotion of Public English-language Education in Quebec (APPELE-Québec) brings together 16 groups representing parents, educators and the community. … Read more
Statement by the Quebec Community Groups Network This has been a difficult week for Quebec’s English-speaking community as our rights continue to be dismissed and our relations with the Quebec government deteriorate further. On Monday, the Alliance for the Promotion of Public English-language Education in Québec (APPELE-Québec), an alliance of 16 groups representing parents, educators … Read more
APPELE-Québec expressed today its frustration and displeasure with the Government of Quebec’s decision to once again limit debate on Bill 40 by invoking closure. Since the tabling of this complex and at times incoherent bill – it amends 84 separate Acts of the National Assembly – Education Minister Jean-François Roberge has done everything he can … Read more
APPELE-Québec is disappointed with the Government of Quebec’s hasty decision to reject the proposal for a court reference to decide whether Bill 40 is constitutionally sound. APPELE-Québec had asked that the Quebec government to submit a reference to the Court of Appeal in relation to Bill 40; An Act to amend mainly the Education Act … Read more
APPELE-Québec, an alliance of 16 groups representing parents, educators and the community, is urging the Quebec government to seek a court ruling on the constitutionality of Bill 40 which seeks to abolish our school boards. Read more