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Quebec anglophones have always walked a tightrope when it comes to asserting our rights. This is the conundrum Quebec’s English-speaking community is up against in what may be the fight of our lives — even after 50 long years of language wars. The two bills — Bill 96 and Bill C-32 — were the subjects of … Read more

An English-rights advocacy group is looking into what Quebec’s Bill 96 and Ottawa’s Bill C-32 will mean for the province’s English-speaking community. The Quebec Community Groups Network hosted a conference Tuesday morning with participants from both Ottawa and Quebec taking part. Federal Official Languages Minister Melanie Joly defended Bill C-32, which includes the strengthening of … Read more

It is with the rhetoric and strategy of a beleaguered minority that Quebec’s English-speaking community intends to fight the CAQ government’s Bill 96, which it considers to be an infringement of its rights in several respects. Under the umbrella of the Quebec Community Groups Network, some 150 people attended a conference on the subject on … Read more

Earlier this week the Government of Canada introduced its proposed update of the Official Languages Act, Bill C-32. If passed, the bill will result in the first changes made to the act since 1988, but in the days since its introduction, the proposed legislation has already drawn criticism from a number of groups including the … Read more

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) has warned that if Bill 96 becomes law, it has the potential to create a “rights-free zone” in the province in the name of the protection of the use of French. QCGN president Marlene Jennings made the statement during a bilingual virtual press conference on June 10. The QCGN … Read more

Asked about the issues highlighted last week by the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) regarding the province’s proposed language reform, Bill 96, Canada’s Minister of Justice, David Lametti, shared that he plans to continue to study the bill carefully but generally downplayed worries. “We’ll continue to watch the situation, but we’re comfortable to let the … Read more

Since winning power in 2018, Premier François Legault has become a much savvier leader, dialling down his divisive rhetoric from a few years back. But that doesn’t mean he’s changed his stripes. Now that he’s in charge, Legault is pretty much doing all the things he threatened to do when he was a raging populist, … Read more

For over a decade, a dedicated team of volunteers has fought tirelessly to preserve the burial ground of 6,000 Irish migrants who perished after their arrival in the 1800s. At the time, 70,000 Irish refugees arrived in Montreal after leaving their homeland during the potato famine. Many died of typhus either on the boats or … Read more

The Quebec Community Groups Network is seriously concerned about the impact of Bill 96 on Quebec’s English-speaking community and minorities in general. “We need to ask over and over and over: Why does protecting the French language require the blanket suspension of human rights? asks QCGN President Marlene Jennings. Read more