Quebecers sound alarm over backlash against EDI policies
A growing number of Quebecers are speaking out against what they see as a troubling decline in support for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. In an open letter published in Le Devoir, dozens of signatories pointed to misinformation as a key driver of the backlash. Among them is Ingrid Enriquez-Donissaint, who says EDI often gets a 'bad rap' despite its important benefits for both society and industries.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Many Canadians losing confidence in future of trade relationship with U.S.: Poll
OTTAWA – Almost two in five Canadians say recent court rulings in the U.S., and the ongoing legal battle over President Donald Trump's tariffs, have made them feel less confident in the future of trade relations, a new poll suggests. The poll suggests that 38 per cent of Canadians say they feel less confident now about the future of Canada-U.S. trade as well as trade between the U.S. and other countries. Sixteen per cent of Canadian respondents say they feel more confident, while 37 per cent say their level confidence in the future of the trade relationship hasn't changed. The Leger poll, which was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error, surveyed more than 1,500 people between May 30 and June 1. The poll also surveyed more than 1,000 Americans. Their responses to the poll were substantially similar. Thirty-six per cent of American respondents said the recent court rulings and the ongoing legal battle over Trump's tariffs made them feel less confident about the future of trade with Canada and with the rest of the world. Another 19 per cent reported feeling more confident and 31 per cent said their opinion hadn't changed. Trump's tariffs are still hitting most countries around the world after a federal appeals court temporarily paused a decision last week by the U.S. Court of International Trade to block his tariffs. The court said Trump went beyond his authority when he used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to take his trade war to the world. A federal appeals court granted the Trump administration's emergency motion for a temporary stay, allowing those tariffs to stay in place for now. The poll suggests that Albertans are reporting the lowest level of confidence in the state of trade relations — 48 per cent of them told Leger they feel less confident about the future of Canada—U.S. and U.S.–international trade relations. That's compared to 38 per cent of Quebecers, 37 per cent of Ontarians and 35 per cent of people in B.C. Among Canadians 55 years of age and older, 43 per cent reported feeling less confident in trade relations; just 33 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 said the same. More women than men said they were losing confidence. While many Canadians expressed concern about the future of trade relationships, many also said the fact that U.S. courts are trying to limit Trump's impact on trade policy increases their trust in America's institutions. The poll suggests that 45 per cent of Canadians say their trust in U.S. democratic institutions has increased, while 17 per cent say it has decreased. Almost a third of Canadians said it has had no impact on their opinion. Quebecers were the most likely to say their trust had increased, at 54 per cent, compared to 45 per cent of people in B.C., 43 per cent of Ontarians and 39 per cent of Albertans. Canadians aged 55 and over were more likely to say their trust had increased than younger Canadians. Among the Americans surveyed, 38 per cent said the fact that U.S. courts are trying to limit Trump's trade powers increases their trust in U.S. democratic institutions. Another 24 per cent said it decreases their trust and 26 per cent said it had no impact on their opinion. Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president for Central Canada, said that if there had been only one ruling — the one that blocked the tariffs — the confidence levels recorded by the poll might have been higher. 'There was a second ruling and I think, if anything, it's left people a bit uncertain about the situation,' Enns said, noting that levels of concern seemed to be higher earlier in the year. 'I think the confidence, it's going to take some time to rebuild that.' The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population. — With files from David Baxter and Kelly Geraldine Malone This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Rights group should stick to defending anglos instead of wooing francophones
Re: ' Anglo-rights association QCGN rebrands as TALQ ' (The Gazette, June 3) With the CAQ government targeting the anglo community in the courts and elsewhere, it seems like the wrong time to blue-wash the QCGN 'to reach out to francophone Quebecers.' I doubt Quebec nationalist politicians will care. Some years ago the EMSB adopted the slogan 'Être bilingue, c'est gagnant!' The CAQ government still wants to abolish English school boards. Perhaps the QCGN should spend less time trying to engage Quebec nationalists and more time defending the community it's supposed to represent. Its budget should be focused on the court battles forced on the anglophone community and forging connections with federal politicians instead of paying consultants for a rebrand. The time for TALQ is over. Pietro Bucci, Rivière-des-Prairies Ramp failure not just an oversight The ramp in Place des Montréalaises designed for cyclists and wheelchairs 'doesn't have a barrier preventing people from falling off and poses a danger,' The Gazette reports. That sounds like not just an oversight, but more like incompetence or workers not doing their job(s). Further, the square will be 'impossible for wheelchairs to use during the repair process.' Mayor Valérie Plante says the work will be completed during the summer. Great, maybe in time for people in wheelchairs to use it in snow and ice? Looks to me like another example of Plante's failures. Bob Vanier, N.D.G. GP blunders are indefensible Mayor Valérie Plante addressed the lack of organization during last year's Grand Prix weekend, saying the city has learned from its errors and will do better this year. What an inadequate and laughable response. Any learning curve had long since passed by the time the police closed access points to Île Notre-Dame, and the fire department forced several restaurants on Peel St. to shut their terrasses. What happened was inexcusable in my view and yet another example of the way Projet Montréal has managed our city. Ian Copnick, Côte-St-Luc Lack of parking hurts merchants Re: ' Hydro work hurts T.M.R. businesses ' (The Gazette, June 2) Retail businesses all over Montreal have been hurt for far too long by never-ending construction projects. What if a mayoral candidate in November's election had the vision and courage to announce a plan to enable better parking options for shoppers patronizing those suffering businesses? Empathetic and business-friendly leadership — what a concept! Barry Beloff, Montreal Students' needs must come first Re: ' Dear Miss Teacher, Why can't I fail too? ' (Opinion, May 31) A thank you to Maïka Forget for bravely sharing her experience with our education system. My two young adults can certainly validate her story. After serving for more than 10 years on my kids' school boards, I could see things had vastly changed since I was in school. Everything was now focused on grades, rankings and competition, which leached the fun of learning out of them. As long as their grades were good and they were impressing teachers, no one seemed to care about the anxiety that was slowly consuming them. We need to invest sufficiently in our education system to serve students, not bureaucrats. Students are not a product; they are people. Karen Bleakley, Dorval Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Quebec adopts immigrant integration bill with model ‘distinct from Canadian multiculturalism'
Quebec Politics QUEBEC — Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge conceded Wednesday that Quebec's new immigration integration law may discourage some people from wanting to move to the province. Immigrants scouting countries should be aware that if they choose to come to Quebec, they cannot expect to find the same multiculturalism model that exists in other provinces, Roberge said. That system, he said, has been relegated to the 'limbo of history where it belongs' with the adoption Wednesday of Bill 84, an act respecting national integration. The legislation was voted into law by a vote of 86 to 27, with the Liberals and Québec solidaire opposition parties voting against it. Presented in January, the law obliges the state, its ministries, cities, schools and even community organizations staging festivals that receive public financial assistance to participate fully in the integration of new arrivals. For their part, immigrants are expected to respect a social contract between them and Quebec — to adhere to and respect Quebec's democratic values, to have a knowledge of Quebec and learn the French language if they have not mastered it on arrival. The law states French is the official and common language of integration, Quebec culture is the common culture, women and men are equal, and Quebec is a secular state. 'I can't say how (immigrants) will react,' Roberge said at a news conference after the vote. 'We are changing the contract; we are changing the way we explain our way of life here. 'Maybe some people who never thought about living in Quebec will say, 'Wow, I want to go there, I want to go to Quebec because it reflects my values.' 'Some people may say the exact opposite, that this doesn't fit with me. 'Do I really want to come to Quebec? I have no intention of learning French, I have no interest in learning about a distinct culture.' We'll see.' Roberge refuted accusations levelled by some groups that appeared during hearings into the bill that the exercise is designed to assimilate the cultural identity of new arrivals. Quebec welcomes about 50,000 immigrants every year. 'This is not an assimilationist bill because we say Quebec's culture is our common culture, we are proud of that and we want people to adhere,' Roberge said. 'But we want them to contribute. This word is very important. We want newcomers, everyone in Quebec, to contribute. 'We don't want to just assimilate them and forget who they are. We want them to bring something new. This is a huge part of what it is to be a Quebecer. Quebecers are open-minded.' Immediately after the adoption of the law, Roberge presented a separate motion in the legislature stating Quebec possesses its own model of national integration that favours cohesion and 'opposes isolationism and communitarianism.' It adds that Quebec 'affirms its national model of integration is distinct from Canadian multiculturalism.' The motion was adopted unanimously. The bill was amended along the way during the clause-by-clause examination process by legislators. It still says Quebec culture is the common culture, but that culture is no longer the 'crucible' that enables all Quebecers to form a united nation. It now says Quebec culture is the 'base on which all Quebecers build a united nation.' Another amendment expands the list of organizations the policy applies to. Initially it was government ministries, municipalities, state agencies and professional orders. Added now are colleges, private schools receiving public funds, universities and public daycares. Under the terms of the law, all now become 'engines' in the welcoming and integration process, Roberge said. 'We're changing the narrative. We're changing the social contract,' he said. 'We are returning Canadian multiculturalism where it should have stayed — that is to say, in the limbo of history. It is a model that has always been harmful to Quebec.' Roberge said the details of how the rules will be applied in those institutions will be spelled out in a new integration policy book the government will present within 18 months after consultations. Another clause that would allow the government to withdraw funding to groups organizing festivals that don't respect the integration rules remains, but it's worded differently. It now says an organization that wants to obtain financing for a festival must ensure its request is 'compatible with national integration and its foundation.' 'No organization will see its current funding cut in the middle of the year, but once we will have clarified things, then the articles will be enacted,' Roberge said. There remains only one reference to respecting the institutions of the English-speaking community, and it is in the preamble of the bill. In February, Roberge tangled with Quebec English School Boards Association president Joe Ortona over that decision. Ortona called on the CAQ to give formal recognition to the distinct culture of Quebec's English-speaking community, but Roberge made no changes to the final legislation in that regard. Roberge said he was puzzled by the Liberal and QS opposition to the bill, noting the two parties co-operated in the legislative process. Quebec's Liberals adopted their own policy last October favouring interculturalism, which is the basis of Bill 84. 'I don't understand,' Roberge said. 'They are against the law but were in favour of the motion. It's worse than the mystery of the Caramilk bar.' This story was originally published May 28, 2025 at 4:40 PM.
