To consult documents published before 2018, please visit the Community Knowledge Open Library on English-speaking Quebec (CKOL).
September 9, 2021 – Statement on Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec
The negative impacts of the bill have been well articulated and will be further elaborated by our
colleagues at the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) at their testimony before the Committee on Culture & Education in October. It is not our intention to recapitulate those arguments in this statement and the Council is in full agreement with their reading and response to the Bill. Read more
March 23, 2021 – Letter of Support for Fulford Residence
The English Speaking Catholic Council is joining with the community organizations, government representatives and family members that have called for a halt to the plans to close the Fulford Residence. The Council understands the financial and logistical difficulties that face the Board of Directors, made more acute by the loss of life incurred by COVID-19. Nevertheless, the Council would argue that every attempt should be made to bolster, strengthen, and preserve this unique institution. Read more
February 5, 2020 – Letter to Regional Access Committees
One Voice is a newly formed affiliation of community organizations which serve the English-speaking senior population of Montreal and Laval. There are some 20 organizations associated with One Voice and each organization connects with between 250 to 2000 seniors in a year. The staff and volunteers of our organizations are extremely engaged with the individuals they serve and one of the ways they assist their members is by acting as their advocates when they are interacting with the health care system. Read more
November 19, 2019 – Statement on Bill 40, an Act to amend the Education Act principally with respect to school organization and governance
The English Speaking Catholic Council (ESCC) was founded in 1981 and represents the interests
of the nearly 400,000 English-speaking Catholics in Quebec. Through the years, the Council has
advocated on a wide-range of Quebec educational issues, including deconfessionalization, the
Ethics and Religious Culture Program (ERC), and the sexual education program introduced to
Quebec schools in 2017. Read more
May 13, 2019 – Statement on Bill 21 , an Act respecting the laicity of the State
As an organization inspired by Catholic social teaching, the Council is concerned for the
common good and is apprehensive as to the implications of Bill 21 (An Act respecting the laicity
of the State) for the social and civic welfare of Quebec society. In the main, the objections the
Council have regarding the current legislation are similar to those we expressed in our 2013
brief on Bill 60 (Charter affirming the values of State secularism and religious neutrality and of
equality between women and men, and providing a framework for accommodation requests)1
However, there are a number of critical differences between the 2013 legislation and that
introduced in 2019. Read more | Go to French version