Writing in The Suburban, William Johnson says he wants to correct the historical record regarding the circumstances under which Alliance Quebec broke apart. Johnson, a national columnist for The Montreal Gazette in 1998, provides his perspective on the circumstances following Quebec’s 1995 referendum that led him to launch what he calls “a hostile takeover” of Alliance Quebec.
“For Kathleen Weil, it was one of those ‘Mom would be proud’ moments of her life. The mother who made her daughter wear green ribbons in her hair to school on St. Patrick’s Day was very proud of her family’s Irish and Scottish roots, Weil said in an interview with the Montreal Gazette.”
Following the nomination of Kathleen Weil as minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebeckers, political columnist Philip Authier interviewed her to get a better sense of her expectations on the job. She had to defend her credentials to take on the job, especially since it’s the first time a Liberal government has created such a position.
Her past experiences as director of legal affairs at the now-defunct anglophone rights group Alliance Quebec was also mentioned. Geoffrey Chambers, vice-president of the QCGN, said it’s important for the English-speaking community to have someone that they can talk to.
“Statistique Canada a récemment publié des chiffres alarmants sur le déclin du français au Canada et au Québec en 2036. Cette publication a suscité une vive réaction de Mario Beaulieu, le député de La Pointe-de-l’Île et porte-parole du Bloc québécois en matière de langue officielle.”
Following the release of Stats Canada’s projections on language in Canada, Mario Beaulieu wrote an article in the Huffington Post to blame the federal government for the drop in French language over the last 20 years. He also presented the argument that English-speaking groups, such as the QCGN and now defunct Alliance Quebec, were backed up by the feds to impose the English language over the will of Quebec as a French-speaking province.
Fighting for the survival of its institutions is of key importance for the vitality of English-speaking Quebec, QCGN Director General Sylvia Martin-Laforge said in an interview with CTV Montreal. Alliance Quebec founder Eric Maldoff said English-speaking Quebecers suffer from “benign neglect” on the part of government. Maldoff, Martin-Laforge and Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser contend Anglophones must get involved and fight for their rights. They also said the Quebec government needs to create a structure to look out for the interests of its minority language community.
Watch the interview with Alliance Quebec founder Eric Maldoff
Watch the CTV News follow-up story
The QCGN is funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.
