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Montrealers came out Thursday at Place du Canada to rally against Bill 96, Quebec’s French language reform. The bill was officially adopted at the National Assembly on Tuesday – and leaders of the province’s English-speaking community say they will continue to be vocal against it. “We have a long way to go, but we’re on … Read more

Around 500 people led a protest Thursday against Bill 96 — the province’s new language reform law that brings sweeping new changes that some say it not reflective of an inclusive Quebec. “Premier Legault and the CAQ has completely re-ordered the societal democracy that we have built,” says QCGN President Marlene Jennings, “And when I … Read more

The Coalition Avenir Quebec’s  Bill 96 — aimed at protecting and bolstering the French language in Quebec — may have been passed into law earlier this week, but that has done little to quell the English-speaking community’s opposition to the legislation. Quebecers Against Bill 96, a group created by the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) , the … Read more

Leaders of the province’s English-speaking community vowed to speak loudly and often against Bill 96, which was passed in the National Assembly on Tuesday. “We are very concerned about the erosion of rights of all Quebecers that were introduced by a government that seems to care more about scoring political points for the upcoming election than … Read more

Quebec’s government has successfully passed sweeping French language protections that critics warn will reshape all aspects of public life. “Bill 96 is the most significant derogation of human rights in the history of Quebec and Canada,” Marlene Jennings, head of the Quebec Community Groups Network, which promotes the rights of English-speakers in the province, said in … Read more

The tug-of-war over Bill 96, which was approved Tuesday, pitted the majority government and politicians who declared the French language’s viability was at stake against advocates who warned the law could weaken civil liberties in Canada’s second most populous province. “Bill 96 will make it virtually impossible for someone to receive quality health and social … Read more

There will be legal challenges and a public pressure campaign against Bill 96, which was voted into law Tuesday afternoon. The Quebec Community Groups Network has vowed to support any fight against the law, and plans to mount a public awareness campaign, starting with a protest in Montreal set for Thursday evening. Read more

Bill 96, the provincial government’s controversial legislation aimed at protecting the French language in Quebec, has been adopted in the National Assembly. “It’s a sad day. I think it’s a sad day for all of Quebec,” said QCGN director Sylvia Martin-Laforge. Read more

The Quebec government has secured the largest expansion of its language laws in more than 40 years, imposing new rules to reinforce the use of French in the public service, education and business despite bitter opposition from the province’s English-speaking minority. “The mood now in the English-speaking community is quite bleak,” said Joan Fraser, a … Read more

The Quebec Community Groups Network has criticized Bill 96 for many reasons, in part for infringing on citizens’ privacy rights, greatly reducing the ability to receive public services in English and for issuing fines for speaking languages other than French at work. Read more

The minister responsible for the French language says the Legault government has no “hidden agenda” with Bill 96, and insists the status quo will continue for the English-speaking and Indigenous communities when accessing health and social services. Critics including the Quebec Community Groups Network have said that under Bill 96, out of 1.1 million residents … Read more