Our History as an Anglophone Voice

The Greater Quebec Movement (GQM) is a think tank and advocacy group founded in the wake of the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty. Our goal has been to foster meaningful dialogue between English and French-speaking Quebecers on issues surrounding integration. We recognize that there are several competing ideologies, many of which have overlooked the concept of a “Greater Quebec” — a province that, despite its regional, linguistic, and cultural divides, also gives rise to a shared, elastic identity. We are proud to present our website and share the fruits of nearly 30 years of reflection.

Our policies have not focused on the protection of minority institutions, but rather on addressing the needs of community members as individuals. At the core of our movement is the belief that freedom of choice and effective bilingualism are achieved through the empowerment of individuals. In Quebec’s context, such empowerment for Anglophones requires equipping them with the tools to compete effectively in a workforce where French is the predominant common language.

While we are also concerned with civic and minority rights, the GQM has questioned the prevailing ethic often adhered to by minorities — the idea that linguistic minorities can only survive by remaining apart, and segregated with separate schools, media, institutions, and group rights.

We believe the central challenge facing both Francophones and Anglophones in Quebec is how to better manage the mutual integration that these linguistic communities are already naturally experiencing: Francophones, as citizens of a world where English is increasingly the global common language, and Anglophones, trying to find their place in Quebec, where French is the dominant means of local communication.

In the past, we have testified on these topics before the following committees and commissions of the National Assembly, the Canadian House of Commons, and the Senate:

• 1997 National Assembly Commission hearings to amend Section 93 of the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982, which allowed for the creation of linguistic school boards in Quebec.
• 1997 Special Joint Commons-Senate Committee hearings on the same topic.
• 2000 Testified before the Estates-General on the Situation and Future of the French Language in Quebec.
• 2007 House of Commons committee studying the funding of the Court Challenges Program (CCP).
• 2021 Testified before the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) hearings on Quebec’s Bill 96.
• 2023 Submitted a brief to the Standing Committee on Official Languages relating to Bill C-13.

The GQM’s three main public policies include:

1. The development of a new linguistic social contract between Quebecers, defining Quebec as an integrated whole rather than a still somewhat linguistically segregated society. The vehicle for this new vision would be a new Quebec constitution with an expanded Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
2. The establishment of more integrated French/English-language schools. We believe the best way to foster a greater Quebec common identity is through more unified schools.
3. An emphasis on aiding individual integration, rather than relying solely on language-related regulation, which can serve to divide Quebec society.

While we are proud of our history and the work we have done, we encourage readers to proceed to the “Vision and Mission” tab to see how we have chosen to evolve.

Click here to view the paper titled “Considering Asymmetry”

Click here to view the paper titled ‘Meeting the Bill 96 Challenge’