CBC - QCGN

Justin Trudeau faces formal language complaints after French-only town hall

January 19, 2017/in Press Coverage/by QCGN Communications

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on the receiving end of three formal complaints filed with the federal commissioner of official languages after speaking only French despite English questions at a town hall meeting Tuesday night in Sherbrooke, Que.”

Following the town hall meeting in Sherbrooke, prime minister Justin Trudeau presented some excuses in a press conference saying in retrospect that he could have answered in English during the meeting. His decision to speak only French struck a nerve with members of the English-speaking community in the Eastern Townships.

Reactions from Gerald Cutting, president of the Townshippers’ Association, and James Shea, president of the QCGN, commented by saying how shocking Trudeau’s stance was, even to French-speaking Quebecers. Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP for Mount Royal, considers the event as an anomaly to Trudeau’s “long history of standing up for official bilingualism.”

Read the full article on CBC News

La CBC convie les Québécois d’expression anglaise à une consultation publique

February 23, 2015/in Press Coverage/by QCGN Communications

Dans cet article dans The Gazette, Steve Faguy fait état d’une consultation publique organisée par la CBC Quebec afin de permettre aux Québécois d’expression anglaise de partager leur point de vue sur la meilleure manière de desservir la communauté. La directrice principale de CBC Quebec, Shelagh Kinch, mentionne ses consultations précédentes avec des représentants de la communauté, notamment le QCGN.

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CBC invites Quebec anglophones to public consultation

February 23, 2015/in Press Coverage/by QCGN Communications

By Steve Faguy, The Gazette

The CBC wants to hear from anglophone Quebecers about its programming.

Tuesday evening, the public broadcaster is inviting them to a panel discussion with CBC management to ask questions and offer ideas in response to the question: “How can CBC best use mobile, web, TV and radio to tell stories, exchange and engage with Quebec’s English-speaking community?”

The consultation is a new requirement of CBC’s broadcasting licence imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in 2013. While the CBC had been consulting francophone communities in the rest of Canada, the CRTC said it should also consult the anglophone minority in Quebec, and that it should do both on a regular basis — once every two years — and report on those meetings to the commission. Read more…

Les Québécois d’expression anglaise souhaitent être représentés sur les ondes de la CBC

November 6, 2014/in Press Releases/by QCGN Communications

Communiqué de presse

Le Quebec Community Groups Network a affirmé au Comité permanent des transports et des communications du Sénat que les communautés d’expression anglaise du Québec ont besoin d’être représentées sur les ondes. Le Comité est à Montréal afin de mener une étude sur les défis auxquels la Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) est confrontée.

Afin de se préparer pour cette comparution, le QCGN a consulté un échantillon représentatif de ses organisations membres à travers le Québec. « Nous n’avons pas été surpris par le niveau d’attachement démontré envers la CBC en général et envers la CBC Radio en particulier », a affirmé le secrétaire du conseil d’administration du QCGN Walter Duszara. « La CBC Radio est en quelque sorte le lien médiatique qui nous unit tous ensemble, soit une présence proactive et bienvenue dont l’importance, particulièrement en ce qui a trait aux communautés isolées et aux populations vulnérables comme les aînés, ne saurait être exagérée. »

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English-speaking Quebecers like to see themselves reflected on CBC

November 6, 2014/in Press Releases/by QCGN Communications

Montreal – November 6, 2014 –

Quebec’s English-speaking communities need to see themselves reflected on the airwaves , the Quebec Community Groups Network told the Transport and Communications Committee, which is in Montreal conducting a study on the challenges faced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In preparation for its presentation, the QCGN consulted a cross-section of members from across Quebec. “We were not surprised by the level of attachment we heard to the CBC in general, and CBC radio in particular,” said QCGN Board Secretary Walter Duszara. “CBC Radio is the media glue that binds us; a proactive and welcome presence, whose importance – especially to isolated communities and vulnerable populations like seniors – cannot be overstated.”

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La décision du CRTC de renouveler les licences de CBC/Radio-Canada – une bonne nouvelle pour les Québécois d’expression anglaise

May 29, 2013/in Press Releases/by QCGN Communications

Pour diffusion immédiate

Montréal, le 29 mai 2013 – Le Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) et le English-Language Arts Network (ELAN) se réjouissent de la décision du CRTC concernant le renouvellement des licences de CBC/Radio-Canada, où s’ajoutent plusieurs nouvelles conditions dont profiteront le Québec en tant que région, et la communauté d’expression anglaise du Québec comme collectivité de langue officielle minoritaire.

« La décision de cette semaine démontre que le CRTC est demeuré à l’écoute de la population, et que la décision aura des effets positifs pour le Québec d’expression anglaise et pour d’autres communautés de langue officielle minoritaires, partout au Canada, a indiqué Dan Lamoureux, président du QCGN. C’est une excellente nouvelle pour les Québécois d’expression anglaise. »

En vertu des nouvelles conditions de licence, CBC Montreal devra produire au moins 14 heures de programmation locale, et ce, à compter du 1^er septembre 2013, explique Guy Rodgers, directeur général de ELAN. Sur ces heures, au moins l’une d’elles doit être consacrée à une émission autre que des nouvelles, restituant le contenu local qui n’existe plus depuis 2009. Dix pour cent de son budget de développement de la télévision de langue anglaise doit être maintenant alloué aux producteurs indépendants du Québec. Ces conditions obligent également la CBC à consulter les communautés de langue officielle minoritaires, une démarche que le diffuseur public a déjà entamée au Québec.

CRTC decision on CBC license renewal good news for English-speaking Quebecers

May 29, 2013/in Press Releases/by QCGN Communications

MONTREAL, May 29, 2013 –

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN) are pleased with the CRTC’s decision regarding the licence renewal of CBC that added some new conditions that will benefit Quebec as a region and Quebec’s English-speaking community as an official language minority.

“This week’s decision demonstrates that the CRTC has been listening and the decision will have positive impacts for English-speaking Quebec and other official language minority communities across Canada,” said QCGN President Dan Lamoureux. “This is excellent news for English-speaking Quebecers.”

Under the new licence conditions, CBC Montreal must produce at least 14 hours of local programming, starting September 1, 2013, explains Guy Rodgers, Executive Director of ELAN. At least one of these hours must be non-news programming, restoring local content that has not existed since 2009. Ten per cent of its English television development budget must now be allocated to independent producers in Quebec. Conditions also force CBC to consult with Official Language Minority Communities, something the public broadcaster has already begun in Quebec.

42% of Anglos considered leaving Quebec post PQ win: poll

February 18, 2013/in Press Coverage/by QCGN Communications

The election of the minority Parti Québécois government last September has many anglophones questioning their future in Quebec, a new poll commissioned by the CBC suggests.

Forty-two per cent of those surveyed in the EKOS research poll said they have considered leaving the province in the wake of the PQ victory.

In particular, the PQ’s stance on language restrictions has raised eyebrows in the English-speaking community.

On Sunday, a crowd gathered in front of Premier Pauline Marois’ Montreal office to protest Bill 14, which proposes amendments to Quebec’s language laws.

[…]

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), an organization that works to defend the rights of anglophones, said it’s not surprised people are crossing the border.

‘There’s an enormous brain drain’—Sylvia Martin-Laforge, QCGN Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of the QCGN, said she is not surprised a significant population of English-speakers has considered leaving.

For her, the poll results suggest a significant percentage of the English-speaking population is unhappy about their place in Quebec.

“Forty-two per cent is a pretty big number,” she said.

Martin-Laforge said the PQ’s stance on language laws has created concern among anglophones since the election.

Montrez-nous vos racines: La CBC-Québec et le Quebec Community Groups Network lancent un concours de vidéos pour les élèves anglophones de l’école secondaire

November 23, 2011/in Press Coverage/by QCGN Communications

The Gaspe Spec

November 17, 2011 – CBC has teamed up with the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and community groups in Quebec to sponsor a video contest that encourages English-speaking high school students to discover the history and heritage of their families and communities.

”As the country’s public broadcaster, CBC is committed to connecting people and telling their stories, ” said Pia Marquard, managing director at CBC Quebec. ”Our history and traditions are incredibly rich here. I’m looking forward to seeing the videos these students produce.”

Co-sponsored by the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN), the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) and the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA), the ‘My Quebec Roots’ video contest is designed to highlight the vibrant stories of their communities through pictures, sound and spoken word, exploring their past through the traditions of oral history and recording the stories of their community and family elders.

Media Coverage – Show us your roots: CBC Quebec and Quebec Community Groups Network Launch Video Contest for English-Speaking High School Students