Lors de sa conférence de presse du jour en compagnie du ministre de la Santé Christian Dubé et du directeur national de santé publique Horacio Arruda, le premier ministre du Québec en a profité pour annoncer aux Québécois que son gouvernement était «déterminé et convaincu» à respecter toutes les promesses électorales faites en 2018. Read … Read more
Old divisions have been replaced by a shared focus on the region’s challenges. The Gaspé region, in particular its southern coastline from Gaspé to Matapédia, is the birthplace of Quebec’s rich cultural heritage. Here, the Mi’kmaq gave shelter to Acadian refugees, and other French and European settlers populated the area. Irish Catholics followed and were … Read more
Advocacy, not only by the community, but at the individual level, has an important role to play. On March 11, 1996, Premier Lucien Bouchard famously told English-speaking Quebecers, “when you go to the hospital and you’re in pain, you may need a blood test, but you certainly don’t need a language test.” Read more
“It’s clear we want to work together, with all the population and not create any cleavages or divisions,” the Quebec Liberal leader said Tuesday. QUEBEC — Any reforms to the Charter of the French Language must be done with, not against, the English-speaking community in order to avoid dividing Quebecers, Liberal party leader Dominique Anglade says. Read … Read more
A strong English-language education system, from kindergarten to university, is essential to the vitality of the English-speaking community. A strong English-language education system, from kindergarten to university, is essential to the vitality of Quebec’s English-speaking community. It allows anglophones to be schooled in their mother tongue, reinforcing their ability not only to speak, but also … Read more
Statistics are used to paint a picture — to tell a story. What statistics are presented, and how they are utilized and to what ends, is another matter. They are instruments used at the discretion of the storyteller. Canadians have a special interest in statistics that tell our linguistic story. We pay special attention to … Read more
With new measures to protect French imminent from both the Quebec and federal governments, English-speaking Quebecers should be forgiven for wondering, ‘what about us?’ writes the Montreal Gazette’s editorial board. Quebec’s English-speaking communities also require protection, even if English — as the majority language in Canada and the world’s lingua franca of commerce, technology and … Read more
For English-speaking Quebecers, being a minority within a minority can be both a burden and a blessing, writes retired senator and former editor in chief of the Montreal Gazette, Joan Fraser. While linguistic division is one of our defining features, Quebecers also have much in common, writes Fraser who sits on the board of the … Read more
Quebec competes in an open North American market where businesses have choices. Legislating against minorities isn’t a great calling card. Recently, Premier François Legault criticized Montreal for hiring Bochra Manaï as an anti-discrimination officer, because she opposed a discriminatory law, Bill 21. Someone tasked with fighting discrimination, who fights discrimination? Unacceptable! It’s been a couple of … Read more
(Ottawa) Oui, on a entendu « vous êtes en sourdine » une multitude de fois dans les délibérations du Parlement virtuel à Ottawa. Mais ce qui a aussi trop souvent été mis en sourdine, c’est le français, conclut-on dans un rapport qui brosse le portrait des premiers mois de l’expérience, et que l’on rend public le jour … Read more
“It looks as if we are being drawn into another intense language battle in 2021,” says former Equality Party leader Robert Libman, “and we’re being drawn into this alone and unarmed.” QUEBEC — The sense of concern, even alarm, is clear in Robert Libman’s voice when asked about the mood of Quebec’s English-speaking community these … Read more
The city of Montreal and two boroughs are the latest municipal bodies to be certified as conforming to Quebec’s French language charter. The city of Montreal and two boroughs are the latest municipal bodies on the island to be certified as conforming to Quebec’s French language charter, the Office québécois de la langue française announced … Read more