The Record, Sarah Rogers 

There is a noticeable lack of support and visibility for English-speaking artists in the Eastern Townships, a Senate committee was told this week.

In their presentation to the Standing Senate committee of official languages in Sherbrooke this week, Townshippers’ Association stressed that the English-language arts and culture sector in the region is important – but requires significantly more resources and support to thrive.

“We have so far been unsuccessful in accessing funds from provincial sources that could help develop projects in the arts and culture sector,” said Townshippers’ president Gerald Cutting, “and we believe that this is an area that would require further investment from the provincial government to develop more programs at the community level.” […]

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) – which groups 36 English-language organizations across the province – has sat in on the hearings all week.

They say they want to ensure that federal institutions respect their obligations to minority language communities – particularly Quebec’s English speakers – spelled out in the Official Languages Act.

“We believe that the official language minority communities of Quebec should be provided a much greater voice in the inter-governmental arrangements that affect them,” said QCGN president Linda Leith in a release. “A key strategic interest of our community is to better understand and adjust for the impact of devolution, shared jurisdiction, and limiting federal spending power.”

Leith notes that 100 per cent of federal money transferred to Quebec for the benefit of the English-speaking community should reach its intended group in the most transparent way possible.

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