Alexander Reford, manager of the internationally renowned Reford Gardens (Jardins de Métis) and president of Heritage Lower St-Lawrence has been named a Member of the Order of Canada. Read more
The Daily Telegraph reports: “[Quebec’s] ruling nationalist party, Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) says tough measures are ‘urgently required’ for the survival of the French language… but critics say it will penalise bilingualism.” “It’s nothing against English Quebecers,” says Premier François Legault: “It’s about protecting French.” Read more
The year 2021 was marked by a revival of the debate over the state of the French language in Quebec. And it’s not over. The anglophone community’s immediate concern is Bill 96, which the CAQ government wants to adopt before the October 2022 provincial election. “At its very core, Bill 96 is an attempt to … 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
Rachel Watts writes: “As a Quebecer, and one with a unique perspective on this latest development, I’m of the view that labelling individuals “historic anglophones” based on schooling not only excludes anglophone newcomer families, as well as those who prefer to access services in English, but also puts Quebec identity on a continuum.” An open letter released … Read more
In 2021, human rights and minority rights in Quebec took a sharp turn for the worse. After years of relative calm, English-speaking Quebecers have been propelled into the middle of another language storm, centred on the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s overhaul of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101). When Bill 96 was introduced … Read more
Journal de Montreal columnist Antoine Robitaille remarks that representatives of Quebec’s English-speaking community should feel a responsibility to publicly rectify outrageous remarks such as those by the president of the Regional Association of West Quebecers who said Bill 96 is part of “xenophobic nationalism” that contains “totalitarian measures”. Robitaille then draws his own outrageous parallel, … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network criticized the Quebec Liberal Party convention last weekend for an “epic failure to listen to Quebec anglos who are worried about Bill 96.” This rebuke followed leader Dominique Anglade’s remark that anglophones are still better off with her party than with the Coalition Avenir Québec, reflecting a somewhat condescending presumption that the community has … Read more
Author Frédéric Bastien criticizes Arthur Ayers, president of the Regional Association of West Quebecers, for speaking out against the Quebec government, and making comparisons to Nazi Germany during the QCGN’s hearings on Bill 96. “We are not Nazi Germany, but we have taken a step in this direction,” Ayers said during the hearing. Read more
Former Quebec Liberal MNA Thomas Mulcair writes that Quebec Liberal Party Leader Dominique Anglade is a very strong leader, but she’ll need every bit of help she can get if she’s going to pull off an unlikely victory against Premier François Legault next fall. Her chosen themes of environment and inclusion are in her bailiwick … Read more
On Sunday, Quebec Liberal Party Leader Dominique Anglade responded to a rebuke sent her way by the Quebec Community Groups Network, which was not amused by her comment Saturday that, push come to shove, anglophones are better off with the Liberals than the CAQ . “Epic failure to listen to Quebec anglos who are worried about … Read more
Despite a lack of concrete proposals aimed at the English community, Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade on Saturday said anglophones are still better off with her party than the Coalition Avenir Québec. Anglade’s comments sparked a sharp rebuke from the umbrella group representing English-Quebecers, the Quebec Community Groups Network. In a tweet, the QCGN accused the … Read more