The Quebec Community Groups Network is pleased to announce the winners of the Sheila and Victor Goldbloom Distinguished Community Service Awards.  The first ever laureates have one thing in common – a lengthy and impressive record of community service.  The winners are lawyer and longtime promoter of equality and English rights Casper Bloom, Eastern Townships-based healthcare advocate Marjorie Goodfellow, and researcher Jack Jedwab, who has contributed immensely to our knowledge and understanding of English-speaking Quebec. Full version…

The Regional Association of West Quebecers is taking part in a pilot project offered in three Quebec regions to develop the leadership skills of young English-speaking women in rural areas by supporting and training small groups as they carry out viable projects in their communities.  “Not only does the project give participants the opportunity to practice their new skills, but it also allows these women to create a real and meaningful experience as they make a difference in their communities,” commented project coordinator Lise Palmer.  This is a unique pilot project by the Quebec Community Groups Network in collaboration with the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (3ci) and funded through Status of Women Canada’s Women’s Program.  West Quebecers is one of the regional partners.

In his 2008-2009 Annual Report, the Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser reports that Quebec has the highest proportion of bilingual people in Canada and that more than one third (36 per cent) of Francophones and more than two thirds (69 per cent) of English-speakers stated in the last federal census that they speak both French and English. That percentage rises to 80 per cent among English-speaking Quebecers aged 18 to 34. “While that is good news, we wonder why so many of our English-speaking youth believe they do not speak it well enough to stay in Quebec. Unfortunately, the question of language skills is often one of perception and self-confidence,” said Sylvia Martin-Laforge, Director-General of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN). “Many youths are sufficiently bilingual, they just don’t know it.” Full version… 

To read the Commissioner of Official Languages’ Annual Report, click here.

Concordia University is pleased to announce today’s launch of the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN) in the presence of Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser. “This dynamic network will be an alliance that will allow distinct research to truly flourish in Quebec’s English-speaking communities. The evolving nature of these communities makes the need for a research network all the more critical,” said Fraser. For the press release, click here.

If the Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality is to be truly effective for the English-speaking community of Quebec, investments here will require a high level of commitment by politicians and policy and program architects. That was among the messages the Quebec Community Groups Network delivered to Senators on March 23, 2009. QCGN President Robert Donnelly and Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages in Ottawa just after Senators heard from the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Heritage and Official Languages.  Donnelly also noted that federal institutions must find innovative ways of supporting our community. “While priorities apply nationally, policies can be adapted in such a way as to implement them differently in Quebec,” he said, noting there is a real appetite for change in the English-speaking community of Quebec.

Read the QCGN’s Brief to the Senate Committee here.