“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,” reads an open letter from the QCGN. Read more
“It was a good meeting,” says QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge of the pre-budget consultation with Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard. The QCGN called for more equitable funding for English services, as well as for wide-ranging hearings to be held on the potential negative impacts that could be created by Bill 96. 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
Several Quebec municipalities with an English-speaking population of less than 50 per cent have announced that they intend to retain their bilingual status. The fact that towns with even a fractional English-speaking population are protecting their citizens’ rights to access services in English sends a strong message to the Quebec government, says QCGN Director General … Read more
While 2022 was a year of linguistic tension for English-speaking Quebecers, more of the same is expected to come this year in the form of Bill C-13, writes columnist Robert Libman. The Quebec Community Groups Network is calling on the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages to refer the bill to the Legal and Constitutional … Read more
Marlene Jennings, former QCGN president and board member of the Red Coalition, is one of three new columnists being welcomed by the Montreal Gazette. “Jennings will be bringing her extraordinary professional and personal experience to bear on, among other things, the once-again tumultuous issue of language in Quebec,” writes Bert Archer, editor in chief … Read more
“No legislation, past or present, will damage our community more than Bill 96,” reads an op-ed by QCGN President Eva Ludvig: “Moving forward the QCGN strongly suggests that [Minister Eric] Girard and his government hold formal consultations on the regulations that implement Bill 96.” Read more
How will Bill 96 affect the English-speaking community in 2023? “The law is being implemented in phases, and I think many of the bigger concerns are down the line,” says QCGN President Eva Ludvig. Read more
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has no commitment to give on whether the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro will retain its bilingual status. A spokesperson for the mayor says that the decision will be made in the new year after consultations with the borough. “We trust that Mme. Plante and her administration will do the right thing and … 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
“As another long year in politics draws to a close, the English-speaking community of Quebec finds itself as hard-pressed as at any time in recent history,” writes former politician Tom Mulciar. Among the few bright spots this year, Mulcair adds, is the QCGN’s “well-crafted” open letter to Parliamentarians, calling for the removal of the Charter … Read more
Poll commissioned by the QCGN shows that a majority of French-speaking Quebecers support the rights of English-speaking Quebecers. Read more