'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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.