'No minority in Canada is better served than English-speaking Quebecers': Legault
Quebec Premier Francois Legault came under fire this week for claiming “no minority in Canada is better served than English-speaking Quebecers” during his Tuesday inaugural speech.
The premier made the comment after listing off institutions servicing the English-speaking community, from Dawson College to the MUHC.
It quickly drew criticism.
“English-speaking Quebecers worked hard to give ourselves those institutions,” said Quebec Community Groups Network general director Sylvia Martin-Laforge.
“We built them, we paid for them, and they're now part of Quebec,” she said.
Legault pushed back on those sentiments, saying he’s “proud” of the provincial government’s contributions to English-language services.
“When we look, for example, at the financing coming from the government for the MUHC, Dawson, McGill, for anglophone institutions, I think we cannot say … all the money came from individuals,” he said. “They came from the government of Quebec and I'm proud of that.”
The Association of Suburban Municipalities also expressed disappointment that the premier made no mention, in his speech which lasted for more than an hour, of bilingual cities and their importance for the English-speaking community.
“This omission comes at a bad time, as the related cities are grappling with a draft ministerial decree that threatens their funding -- all while we plead for bilingual cities to keep their bilingual status in the study of bill 96,” read a statement from the organizations.
READ MORE: Quebec's overhaul of its strict French-language law under microscope at hearings
“Let [Premier Legault] understand here, now, and always, you are Quebecers,” said Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade, in an address to English-speaking Quebecers. “Expect to be so recognized, not only in words, but in actions, in law, today, and every day.”
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Are Anglos really the best served minority in Canada? What does the leader of the Quebec Liberal party have to say about that?
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.