Latest news with #Quebecers'
Montreal Gazette
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: If Quebec wants to improve relations with anglophones, it must be careful when defining them
There was much talk about how to turn English-speaking Quebecers' generalized mistrust of the Coalition Avenir Québec government into trust during the recent study of the budgetary credits at the National Assembly. Under questioning by Liberal MNA Gregory Kelley, Eric Girard, who is responsible for relations with the anglophone community, as well as being finance minister, even conceded a recent flashpoint was 'not our finest moment.' Girard's mea culpa was a reference to last summer's imbroglio over a government directive that suggested an eligibility certificate for English education would be required to access English health care. The government eventually rewrote the directive. While it's positive that Girard said he wants to hit reset with often skeptical English-speaking Quebecers, there is another contentious issue percolating behind the scenes that could boil over. Kelley asked Girard about a new methodology to define the English-speaking community the government is studying that could reduce its demographic weight, which was measured in the last census at about 13 per cent of the Quebec population. He warned that any such recalculation that diminishes the number of anglophones could compromise funding and the delivery of services, whether it be health care or employment assistance. 'Often the plans are based on the numbers. And it's where the numbers warrant,' Kelley noted during the exchange. 'So if the services are based on numbers, that's the way hospitals in Quebec determine what services.' Girard seemed caught off guard, saying he was 'not particularly' aware of this review by the Ministry of the French Language. But he did try to be reassuring. 'Services are based on need. For example, access to health services. Where there are anglophone institutions, it's clear there are services and even in Montreal, francophone institutions are able to provide services. And in the regions, that's why we have regional access plans,' Girard said. 'Just to be clear, the objective is to offer the services, not to manipulate the numbers to not provide the services. We have regional access plans specifically because we want to ensure the services are available in English where there is a demand for the services.' Nevertheless, Kelley said in an interview later that he wanted to put this issue on Girard's radar, both as minister responsible for relations with the English-speaking community and minister in charge of the Institut de la statistique du Québec, to head off any new friction. 'I think we could easily look at the track record and say that there's no reason for us to be optimistic,' he said. 'I hope the fact this intervention was a bit pre-emptive results in a positive decision for the community.' The Ministry of the French Language confirmed that the current indicators on the number of people needing health services in English date from 2018 and are under review by the Health Ministry with its input. But it said no one who qualifies for care in English under the Health Act will be refused, regardless of the methodology used. As for what alternatives are under consideration and when they might be unveiled, the Ministry of the French Language said the reflection is still underway. Defining who is an anglophone is a fraught endeavour for a government that has often been antagonistic toward anglophones. And it's a sensitive matter for English-speaking Quebecers who often feel scapegoated, ignored and disrespected. One source, speaking on background, said it's not illegitimate for the government to tweak its formula, but that it's still touchy. 'It's a political question for sure, but there's an administrative necessity underlying the political question,' said the source. The Quebec government currently relies on Statistics Canada's 'first official language spoken' formula. That essentially boils down to counting all the Quebecers who answer English to that question on the census, plus adding about half of those who answer both English and French. This totals about 1.3 million Quebecers. This measure is imperfect, but it is considered the gold standard because it's the most inclusive. Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of the Quebec Community Groups Network, an umbrella organization for the English-speaking community, said she's been hearing for years that the provincial government has been looking for a new methodology that would effectively winnow down who qualifies as an anglophone. She said changing the variables would mean leaving someone out. The QCGN favours the current model of calculating. 'We've always used the 'first official language spoken' number, and that's the most generous,' Martin-Laforge said. Some of the CAQ government's past attempts to redefine the community have been ham-fisted, while others are unworkable. It has introduced the concepts of 'historic anglophones' and 'ayant droits,' which roughly translates as rights-holders. Both are extremely vague. Last summer's eligibility certificate fiasco hit a nerve because relying on documents children with grandfathered access to English schools have had to obtain since Bill 101 was adopted in the 1970s neglects the fact that many seniors, babies or Canadian adults from other provinces don't have one. On top of this, since Bill 96 was passed, children who qualified for English education but attended French schools have been denied their eligibility certificate if they already graduated. (Ironically, in many regions of Quebec, students who qualify for English schooling are actually francophones with inherited rights.) Bill 96 also put a limit of six months during which new immigrants to Quebec can receive public services in a language other than French (English included), which also constrains need. At the very least, the Secretariat for Relations With English-Speaking Quebecers, a branch of the Quebec government, should be involved in the methodology review process with the Ministry of the French Language, Kelley said. It may be a highly technical matter, but proceeding with caution would show Girard is serious when it comes to wanting to improve relations with anglophones. 'It's great that Minister Girard says he wants to go from mistrust to trust,' Kelley said. 'So the ball is really in his court. I don't think this is a massive thing, since we more or less have an accepted definition that's out there. I don't think it's necessary to really change things or rock the boat too much, and (it's) a good chance for the government to work with the community to make sure we don't have any issues going forward.'
Hamilton Spectator
07-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
New rules on tipping, price labelling take effect across Quebec
MONTREAL - New rules on tipping and on price displays at grocery retailers took effect Wednesday across Quebec, in a move the government describes as an effort to make things easier for consumers. The rules require the display of any suggested tipping options to be 'neutral and uniform,' to prevent a merchant from pressuring clients to give higher tips. In addition, the rules require merchants to ensure the terminals do not suggest tips that are calculated on the price after taxes. For example, a suggested tipping percentage on a $100 tab should be based on that amount and not $114.98, which includes the federal and provincial sales taxes. Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, who oversees consumer protection, said the new rules will make life simpler for Quebecers by removing 'irritants' at a time when 'every dollar counts for Quebec families.' 'Our government is taking action to protect Quebecers' wallets,' he said in a statement. Also, grocery retailers will now have to include more information on displays, such as the price per unit of measure, and the price for customers who don't belong to a store's loyalty rewards program. That measure extends to any retailer that sells food, including convenience stores. The province has also raised the baseline for an existing price accuracy policy from $10 to $15 – meaning that if the price at checkout is higher than the advertised price, the product must be offered for free if it is less than $15. The pricing error policy has existed since 2001. Michel Rochette, president of the Retail Council of Canada's Quebec branch, noted that consumers in stores should see changes in labelling. Rochette said in any given store, you could have 30,000 to 40,000 different products, so it's a major task to change labels. However, the province's consumer protection agency recently added new criteria not included in the law that will take longer to implement. In recent weeks, the government decided the rules would extend to websites, phone applications and flyers. 'So it's asking the industry to reprogram and reconfigure its advertising and communications, which wasn't the case at the start,' Rochette said. 'So there will be a need for some flexibility for the government.' Martin Vézina, vice-president of public affairs at the Quebec Restaurant Association, said the transition will take some time as some terminals need to be reprogrammed or replaced altogether. The association has warned its members that they have the responsibility to comply with the regulations, even if an external company oversees their point-of-service terminals. Restaurant owners, he said, could see savings on credit card fees and taxes. But servers and wait staff could see less tips. 'It remains to be seen if servers will find that the reduction in tips will make them change employment,' Vézina said. Nathalie Guy, on her lunch break in downtown Montreal, said tipping had got out of hand, particularly during the pandemic as most people switched to using debit or credit. She recalled one time where she felt she had 'no choice' but to tip while purchasing a meal. 'As long as it's fair and at the discretion of the customer, I think that's what is important,' Guy said. Karine Grondin, finishing her meal at a food court, said she welcomes the rules. 'Everywhere now you're asked for one (a tip),' Grondin said. 'It's up to people to decide, but I agree it shouldn't be on an amount including taxes.' Speaking to reporters in Quebec City, Jolin-Barrette noted the goal of the in-store display changes is to better inform shoppers. 'Until last week, in some stores, you practically had to have a magnifying glass to see the price per hundred grams to see what the real unit price was,' Jolin-Barrette said. 'So from now on, the information will be very clear: the regular price, the discounted price, the unit price, and the price per measure.' The changes were introduced last fall and passed unanimously at the national assembly in November. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Percentage of Albertans Wanting to Secede Nearly Matches Quebec's: Poll
One in four Albertans would vote 'yes' in a referendum on leaving Canada, just 3 percentage points behind Quebecers' support for separation, a new poll suggests. A quarter of Albertans would support separation from Canada, nearly matching the 28 percent of Quebec residents who would favour their province becoming its own country, according to a Saskatchewan ranks third in support for a potential independence referendum, with 20 percent of residents saying they would vote 'yes.' British Columbia is fourth at 9 percent, while Manitoba follows with 8 percent. Meanwhile, the Atlantic provinces and Ontario show lower support, with 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively. Alberta also leads in support for joining the United States, with 22 percent of residents saying they would vote 'yes' in a referendum on the issue. Saskatchewan follows at 17 percent, and Manitoba at 13 percent. In both Quebec and British Columbia, 11 percent of residents would support joining the United States, while support in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces is below 10 percent. Related Stories 4/3/2025 4/3/2025 Nationally, 15 percent of Canadians support their respective province leaving the country, while 11 percent favour joining the United States. However, the 'vast majority' of Canadians would vote no on both issues, according to the poll. If the Liberals win the federal election, support for an independence referendum would rise in all provinces, the poll suggests. Saskatchewan would see the largest increase, up 10 percentage points to 33 percent. British Columbia would follow with an 8-point rise to 17 percent, while Ontario would see a 7-point increase. In Alberta and Quebec, a Liberal win would result in a five and two percentage point increase in support for independence, respectively A Liberal victory would also result in a slight increase in support for joining the United States in all provinces except Quebec, where support would remain unchanged at 11 percent regardless of which party forms the next government. By political affiliation, as expected, those supporting the separatist Bloc Québécois have the highest support for separation, with 58 percent saying they would vote 'yes' in an independence referendum. The Conservatives follow at 22 percent, with support rising to 39 percent if the Liberals win. National Unity Last week, Reform Party founder Preston Manning suggested in a 'Large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it,' Manning wrote on April 2, saying that one of the reasons for Western separation is Ottawa's 'failure' to address the concerns of Western Canadians. On the campaign trail, both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal Leader Mark Carney have emphasized the importance of a united Canada in the face of U.S. trade tensions. When asked about Manning's comments last week, Poilievre 'I am part of a government that governs for all of the country, and very much for the West,' Carney said on April 4, noting that he grew up in Edmonton. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she isn't advocating for separation, but is aware of efforts by some to hold referendums. She has said that if the next government does not address Alberta's concerns, which she When asked at an unrelated April 7 'I'd be blind if I didn't see what is occurring in the media, on social media,' Smith said. 'I have to acknowledge that there's a lot of unhappiness on the part of Albertans in the way we've been treated by the Liberal government for the past 10 years.' The province takes issue with many of Ottawa's policies, such as the Impact Assessment Act and the oil and gas emissions cap, arguing they overstep provincial jurisdiction and hinder the province ' s oil and gas industry. Ottawa has maintained it has the authority to address issues of national concern such as climate change. In one of her latest moves to assert provincial autonomy, Smith recently Carney has said he's committed to making the energy sector more competitive, and that Canada needs more pipelines built 'so that we can displace imports of foreign oil.' He has said he'll keep the oil and gas emissions cap and the Impact Assessment Act, but that he would remove redundancies in regulatory reviews. 'We need to do things that had not been imagined or had not been thought possible at a speed we haven't seen before, and that's the nature of the time,' Carney said while visiting Edmonton on March 20, saying his government would build energy corridors to boost the sector.
National Post
03-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Carney's Quebec honeymoon could turn into a 'hangover' in a province with high expectations
OTTAWA — Mark Carney didn't even know how many MPs the Liberals would have in Quebec on Tuesday morning when he got a taste of what awaited him. Article content Article content 'Mark Carney owes one to Quebecers,' said Quebec Premier François Legault after the Liberal party's resounding results in Quebec. Article content A few hours earlier, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who enjoys a comfortable lead in the polls, had not congratulated the federal leader but did predict that the next government would be 'hostile' to Quebec. Article content 'To say that Mark Carney will not collaborate and will not favour Quebec's interests in the upcoming years… is pretty obvious to me,' said St-Pierre Plamondon, whose nickname in Quebec is PSPP. Article content Article content Then Marc Tanguay, the interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, seemed indifferent to Carney's successes and wanted everyone to know that 'the Liberal Party of Canada is not the Liberal Party of Quebec.' Article content 'The next election campaign will be between the Quebec Liberal Party and a referendum on the sovereignty of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon,' Tanguay added, underlining that the context between the federal election and the 2026 provincial election will be 'completely different'. Article content Winning 43 of the province's 78 seats, the party's best result since 1980, could come at a cost. A separatist source pointed out that after the 1980 election, Pierre Trudeau's Liberals 'stuffed a constitution down Quebecers' throats'. The government of Quebec has never signed the 1982 Constitution. Article content Another source told us they believed that for the first time, Quebecers would 'really have expectations' of the federal government and predicted that within a year, Carney's honeymoon would be over and would be replaced by a 'hangover.' Article content Article content In an interview with the National Post, Carney's Quebec Lieutenant Steven Guilbeault said that 'the day after an election, you have to roll up your sleeves because the work begins.' He acknowledged that premiers, industries, artists, environmentalists and 'the people' have 'expectations'. Article content Article content 'This means that there will be many strong Quebec voices around the cabinet table,' Guilbeault said. 'I wouldn't say it's a debt; in fact, I would say it's an obligation we have to represent them well.' Article content 'I think that's what we're kind of expecting … a slightly greater weight for Quebec compared to Ontario, not necessarily compared to the whole country. But Carney, yes, he owes one to Quebecers,' said Geneviève Tellier, a political studies professor at the University of Ottawa.
Edmonton Journal
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Carney's Quebec honeymoon could turn into a 'hangover' in a province with high expectations
Article content 'To say that Mark Carney will not collaborate and will not favour Quebec's interests in the upcoming years… is pretty obvious to me,' said St-Pierre Plamondon, whose nickname in Quebec is PSPP. Then Marc Tanguay, the interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, seemed indifferent to Carney's successes and wanted everyone to know that 'the Liberal Party of Canada is not the Liberal Party of Quebec.' Does it help the Quebec Liberal Party at the provincial level? 'The next election campaign will be between the Quebec Liberal Party and a referendum on the sovereignty of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon,' Tanguay added, underlining that the context between the federal election and the 2026 provincial election will be 'completely different'. Winning 43 of the province's 78 seats, the party's best result since 1980, could come at a cost. A separatist source pointed out that after the 1980 election, Pierre Trudeau's Liberals 'stuffed a constitution down Quebecers' throats'. The government of Quebec has never signed the 1982 Constitution.
