The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) congratulates François Legault on his re-election as Premier of Quebec and looks forward to a fresh start in relations between the English-speaking community of Quebec and the Quebec government. We also reiterate our recommendation for the appointment of a dedicated Minister Responsible for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers.
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) last night hosted a virtual town hall with Colin Standish, leader of the new Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ). This online forum provided Quebecers with an opportunity to ask Standish questions and at the same time convey to him their concerns ahead of the Oct. 3 provincial election.
The Quebec Community Groups Network last night hosted a virtual town hall with Quebec Liberal Party Leader Dominique Anglade. This online forum provided Quebecers an opportunity to ask questions and convey their concerns to her ahead of the Oct. 3 provincial election.
Montreal – June 10, 2022 – Under new Interim President Eva Ludvig, the Quebec Community Groups Network today emerged from a policy forum with renewed resolve to fight Bill 96 and to advocate strongly to ensure new federal legislation updating the Official Languages Act does not abandon Englishspeaking Quebec by discarding the fundamental principle of linguistic duality from coast to coast to coast.
“There is a realignment under way that will reshape the Official Languages Act in ways that we feel will diminish our community’s long-standing relationship with the Government of Canada and leave us vulnerable,” said Ludvig. Bill C-13 proposes to create new language rights in one official language only. “The QCGN is fighting hard to make sure our minority community of 1.1 million people is also extended
these new rights.”
A federal bill aimed at modernizing the Official Languages Act is proposing radical changes that will have adverse impacts on the interpretation of this quasi- constitutional law and Quebec’s English-speaking community. That was the message the Quebec Community Groups Network took to parliamentarians examining Bill C-13 on Monday.
The Quebec Community Groups Network is calling on the Government of Canada to immediately remove all reference to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language from Bill C-13, the proposed legislation amending the Official Languages Act, and creating a new law that will impose language of work and service obligations for French only on federally regulated businesses.
For more than a year, the QCGN has been doing its best to convince the Quebec government of the shortcomings of Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec. Unfortunately, our concerns as well as those of countless Quebecers including organizations representing our business, education, health and social services, human rights and legal sectors, have been ignored.
Bill C-13 is not the bill that the official language minorities asked for. In Bill C-13, the federal government is poised to abandon half a century of official language policy and turn the OLA into legislation aimed at the protection and promotion of one official language.
MONTREAL, April 14, 2022 – English-speaking Quebecers are deeply disappointed that the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government has refused to correct an ill-advised measure in Bill 96 that would impact the educational success of our youth.
The QCGN presents its overview of Bill C-13, An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages, introduced in the House of Commons on March 1, 2022.
The QCGN is funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.
