Copy
View this email in your browser

BCRC Weekly Update for the week of September 19th 2022 

The Weekly Update presents information on the status, needs and priorities of the English Speaking Black Communities.

NEWS

Balarama Holness says secularism, language laws affect Montreal more than rest of province in CTV interview
CTV News | September 16, 2022


Quebec’s bills 21 and 96 “disproportionately” impact Montrealers, and the city ought to have a party represent it in the provincial legislature.

That’s according to Bloc Montreal leader Balarama Holness who, one year after his attempt to be Montreal’s mayor, has set his sights on Quebec City.

“We need a party that has a strong voice at the National Assembly that represents the interest of Montrealers, because right now, there’s a void in that regard,” said Holness during a Friday interview with CTV Montreal anchor Maya Johnson.

He says two of the most controversial laws in Quebec – bills 96 and 21 – disproportionately affect the metropolis, which has large religious and language minority populations.

Bill 96 introduced an overhaul to Quebec’s French Language Charter, with implications across several sectors favouring the French language. Supporters of the bill say it’s a necessary step to protect the language, while others say it’s too strict on immigrants and students wishing to study in English, among other complaints.
 

Montreal International Black Film Festival kicks of its 18th edition
City News | September 20, 2022

The 18th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival kicked off Tuesday, showcasing documentaries and narrative short films featuring Black artists and creators.

“It’s to make sure that they are recognized,” explains Andrea Este, the head coordinator of the festival. “It’s to share our stories. It’s to have them be discovered,” she added.

Este says the main goal is to provide a platform for Black artists and creators so that their content is seen by an audience that would not be able to see it otherwise.

“It celebrates so much diversity and inclusion and also showcases Black voices that are important to bring forward,” says Patricia Chica, a Director and Producer from Montreal.

Kicking off the festival, a powerful film titled “Lovely Jackson” is a documentary that tells the story of Ricky Jackson, who at 18-years-old, was wrongfully convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and was sentenced to death. He was released 39 years later, making him America’s longest wrongfully incarcerated person.
 

Man dead, 2 others in critical condition after shooting in downtown Montreal
CBC News | September 20, 2022

Police are investigating after three men were shot in downtown Montreal on Tuesday, leaving one dead and the other two in hospital.

The shooting took place near the corner of de la Montagne and St-Antoine streets around 7:55 p.m. ET, according to police spokesperson Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant.

When police arrived, they found no victims, Brabant said. The officers then headed down the street to the Georges-Vanier Metro station where they found two men in their 20s with gunshot wounds.

One of them died at the scene, Brabant said, marking the city's 25th homicide this year. The other man was taken to hospital in critical condition.

A third victim, also in his 20s, was later found near the corner of St-Antoine and St-Martin streets with a wound to his lower body. He is also in hospital in critical condition, Brabant said.
 

Québec Solidaire's $47B transit plan for Montreal may not be realistic, experts say
CBC News | September 20, 2022

If elected, Québec Solidaire wants to overhaul public transit in Montreal, with a $47-billion plan that would include building a new Purple Line for the Metro and extending the Green and Orange lines.

That would mean adding more than 30 kilometres of new tracks to the existing Metro network. 

It's part of what the party has dubbed its "transportation revolution." If completed, it would be the biggest project of its kind in Quebec since the city's subway system first opened more than 55 years ago — just in time for Expo 67. 

The Purple Line would go from downtown Montreal to eastern Laval, passing through Rivière-des-Prairies, Montréal-Nord, Rosemont and Plateau-Mont-Royal.

The Orange Line would extend to western Laval. The Green Line would be extended to the eastern part of the Mercier neighbourhood.

But there are questions about the plan's feasibility and whether its current $47-billion price tag is reasonable, given that such a project could take decades to complete and the cost could balloon in the meantime.
 
English Montreal School Board combats disinformation and racism on UN Day of Peace
Global News | September 21, 2022

On the United Nations International Day of Peace, 15 students at Rosemount High School are participating in a first-of-its-kind workshop. They are helping develop an international teaching session to combat disinformation and racism that exists in their everyday lives.

“Youth today are consuming about six times the amount of media that their grandparents did at a rate that is just unproportional to even put a number to,” said Ryan McHugh, workshop facilitator.

The session is hosted by the International Forum on Peace, Security and Prosperity, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to educating youth by promoting world peace.

“We are aligned with the sustainable development goals for the United Nations, which is all about how do we bring in the youth, how do we combat racism, how do we make a peaceful society?” said John Hannan, International Forum on Peace, Security and Prosperity director of international partnerships.

Atikamekw community 'shocked' by François Legault comments on Joyce Echaquan's death
CBC News | September 17, 2022

Atikamekw chiefs were stunned by Premier François Legault saying the "problem that happened at the Joliette hospital with Mrs. Joyce is now resolved" during the TVA electoral debate Thursday evening, two years after Joyce Echaquan's death.

"The problem is far from settled," said the Chief of Manawan, Paul-Émile Ottawa, and the Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation, Constant Awashish, stressing systemic racism must be acknowledged in Quebec to move forward.

"It is a very big statement that he made," said Awashish. Legault's words, he said, shocked and irritated many.

The Atikamekw woman from Manawan and mother of seven died at a hospital in Joliette, Que in late September 2020, after posting a Facebook livestream showing staff insulting and swearing at her.

A Quebec coroner later ruled her death was not from natural causes but "accidental" because she failed to receive the care she was entitled to.

In the wake of Echaquan's death, the Atikamekw Council of Manawan and the Atikamekw Nation Council (CNA) submitted a brief to both the provincial and federal governments outlining their demands for Joyce's Principle. Its aim is to guarantee all Indigenous Peoples the right to equitable access to health and social services in the province.

Manawan and the CNA have constantly called for the implementation of the principle and recognition of systemic racism since.
 

Quebec election: five-way fight or two-way race?
CTV News | September 18, 2022

Who's in the race? François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of Québec solidaire (QS) say the election is a choice between their two parties.

Speaking in Sherbrooke Saturday, Nadeau-Dubois said the riding belongs to either QS or the CAQ, adding that the Quebec campaign is becoming "more and more a two-way fight."

For once, the one he defines as his main opponent agrees.

Legault believes the province is witnessing the confrontation of "two very clear visions" that are "very different."

"One vision is more realistic and takes into account the concerns of Quebecers," he said. The other "thinks that money grows on trees," he concluded.

But Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon retorts that it's still a five-way race.

"In reality, it's a five-way fight. Each party is distinguishing itself with unique proposals," he said at a press conference in Saguenay. "We must respect the right of people to vote based on the proposals that are in line with what they would like."
 

Immigration becomes political fodder in Quebec election as parties spar over 'capacity'
CBC News | September 19, 2022

The head of a major employers' group in Quebec says an election campaign is not the time to have a serious discussion about immigration.

Campaign slogans and political messages aren't suited for rational conversations about how newcomers contribute positively to the economy, Karl Blackburn, president and CEO of the Conseil du patronat du Quebec, said in a recent interview.

"And we are very much aware that these are sensitive issues, particularly around language," Blackburn said.

But three weeks in, party leaders have not shied away from putting immigration front and centre in the Quebec campaign.

The debate has so far been superficial, focused on numbers — parties have been accused of "one-upping" each other with immigration targets — and the ambiguous concept of the province's "capacity to integrate" newcomers.

CAQ Leader Francois Legault clumsily tied immigration to "violence" and "extremism" — comments he walked back — and days later he told a campaign crowd that non-French-speaking immigration is a threat to "national cohesion" in the province.

During Thursday night's leaders debate, Legault warned that if Quebec doesn't gain more powers over immigration, it could end up like Sweden, which is struggling with a crime wave linked to immigration.

Blackburn, meanwhile, says Quebec has the capacity — and desperately needs — to accept up to 100,000 immigrants a year in order to address labour shortages that are negatively affecting the quality, price and availability of goods and services across Quebec.
 

Privatizing health care isn't the taboo it once was. But would it help Quebec's ailing system?
CBC News | September 21, 2022

It's nearly noon at the Tiny Tots pediatric clinic in Decarie Square in the Montreal suburb of Côte Saint-Luc, and there's a steady line of parents clutching little hands or pushing strollers as they check in for their child's appointment.

Tiny Tots is part of ELNA Medical's growing network of family medicine and specialty clinics, with some 96 clinics in Canada, including about 25 in Quebec alone.

Although many of the services are covered by public health insurance — in Quebec, through the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) — the clinics are privately owned and run.

If patients need to see a specialist, they can be referred internally to someone working at one of ELNA's clinics. A patient can have tests or procedures done at a public clinic or at ELNA. Some specialty procedures at ELNA are covered by RAMQ, while others are mostly covered by private insurance plans

"It's the same care, except in, shall we say, a better wrapper," said Dr. Benjamin Burko, a pediatrician and the Montreal-based company's chief innovation officer.

Support for such an approach appears to be growing.

A dearth of family doctors, long wait times for surgeries and overwhelmed emergency rooms have made the public thirsty for new ideas to improve Quebec's health-care system — and one of the main alternatives being proposed in this election campaign is opening the network up to further privatization.

 

American company says it will stop shipping products to Quebec over new language law
CBC News | September 21, 2022


Quebecers wanting to buy products like iPhone cases from OtterBox are going to have to find another way besides ordering directly from the company's website.

In a message at the top of OtterBox's home page, the Colorado-based accessory manufacturer says, that "due to the French language requirements of Bill 96, we have temporarily suspended shipments to Quebec, Canada."

When users click on a link for more information, they're taken to a page where the company explains that the move is because Bill 96, which became law on June 1, "requires French language support across all sales and marketing touch points."

It adds that it's working to comply with the law so it can resume shipments "as soon as possible" and that consumers can still buy its products from retailers like Staples, Amazon and the Apple Store, as well as through mobile phone providers like Rogers and Telus.

Kianna Noonan, a spokesperson for Otter Products, said the company's Canadian legal counsel recommended that all shipments from the website to Quebec consumers be suspended while the new legislation is assessed.

Is bilingualism doomed?
Policy Options | September 19, 2022

Bilingualism – as enshrined in the Official Languages Act of 1969 and subsequently (for education) in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms of 1982 – was, and remains, a noble endeavour, giving English and French equal legal status and ensuring all Canadians the right to education in their native tongue. Together, they embodied the dream of a nation in which both languages would be respected and understood (at least by a growing educated minority.) But that dream is dying. The results of the 2021 census are the latest falling bricks in an already fragile edifice. What went wrong and with what might that admirable dream be replaced?

Falling numbers  

The answer to the first part of my question is no mystery. The 2021 census confirms what we already know. French continues to decline, now below 20 per cent of the Canadian population, whether measured by mother tongue or language spoken in the home. Below what threshold does functional bilingualism as a federal obligation cease to be sustainable? Outside Quebec (the ROC or Rest of Canada), the numbers have fallen below a point difficult to reconcile with full bilingualism – mother-tongue francophones are only 3.2 per cent (down from 3.5 per cent in 2016) and less than two per cent for those who still maintain French in the home. With the exception of holdouts in Eastern and Northern Ontario, and Acadia, French in the ROC has little day-to-day relevance. Why, aside from specific career paths, learn French?

However, the threat to the bilingual dream is not only a matter of numbers, but also of more subtle forces at play.
 

Quebec election has profound implications for the rest of Canada
National Post | September 20, 2022

With all the hoopla over the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race, the United Conservative Party leadership race and the laying to rest of Queen Elizabeth II, it is easy to forget that it is election season in Canada’s second-largest province, Quebec. **On Oct. 3, voters there go to the polls in a race that at first blush might seem to be a sleeper. That’s because no one doubts it will be won by the governing party, Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ). But the rest of Canada should pay attention, because the outcome in Quebec will matter on a number of fronts, including the outcome of the next federal election.

Quebec’s election is most notable for the collapse of the old world order. From 1976 to 2011, the fight in Quebec was between sovereigntists, represented by the Parti Québécois (PQ), and federalists, represented by the provincial Liberal party.Today, the support of both those parties has collapsed. The latest Leger poll has the Liberals at 16 per cent, and the PQ at 13 per cent. The CAQ in is the catbird seat with 38 per cent, with two other parties, the Conservatives and Québec solidaire (QS), which represent the most right- and left-wing positions in the race, respectively, rounding out the field with 16 per cent each.

 

Canada to drop COVID-19 vaccine border policy, ArriveCan to be optional: sources
CTV News | September 21, 2022


The federal government plans to drop its COVID-19 vaccine border requirements by the end of September and make the ArriveCan application optional, sources confirmed to CTV News.

The government is expected to make this policy change by the end of the month, and the sources indicated the Liberals would also end the outstanding random COVID-19 testing for travellers.

The federal government said in late June that existing border restrictions, including showing proof of vaccination to enter the country, would remain in place until at least Sept. 30. The latest news suggests the federal government may simply choose not to extend these measures any further.

Also in June, the government began allowing unvaccinated Canadians to board planes and trains heading to either domestic or international locations, but they were still required to follow the current testing and quarantine requirements upon re-entry from international destinations. As of that last update to COVID-19 border rules, foreign nationals coming to Canada were still required to be vaccinated in order to enter.

It was not immediately clear exactly which vaccination-related rules will change come the end of the month, with an announcement expected in the days ahead.
 

Hurricane Fiona to accelerate, bring ‘hurricane force winds’ to Atlantic Canada
Global News | September 22, 2022

Environment Canada says hurricane Fiona is continuing northward and is expected to impact Nova Scotia late Friday and Saturday morning.

Fiona is currently located just over 2,000 kilometres south-southwest of Sable Island, sustaining winds of 213 kilometres per hour.

The Category 4 hurricane is currently moving north-northeast at 24 kilometres per hour.

It’s expected that on Thursday, the hurricane will turn northeast and then accelerate.

“This storm is shaping up to be a severe event for Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec,” read a 9 a.m. update from Environment Canada.

Fiona is expected to to turn to the northeast and then accelerate, reaching Sable Island on Friday night as it transitions to a post-tropical storm.

It is then forecasted to make landfall over eastern mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island on Saturday morning. The hurricane will reach lower Quebec north shore and southeastern Labrador early Sunday.

EVENTS
The Black Health Alliance Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday September 29, 2022 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm EST at Centre for Social Innovation (Suite 101 - 192 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON, M5T 3B3).

The meeting will feature a keynote presentation from Jennifer Bernard, CEO, Women's College Hospital Foundation and a live performance from spoken word artist Dwayne Morgan.

They kindly request members and staff (non members) to register for this event at your earliest convenience.  The deadline for registration is Wednesday September 28, 2022.  Please feel free to share with your networks.


For those who are unable to join in person, a link will be provided to join online via Zoom.
Register
This forum on November 6, 2022 (9AM-4:30PM) brings together speakers with expertise and personal experience to discuss innovative policy solutions and to foster community trust among marginalized and racialized communities Our goal is to raise the level of awareness and to provide a safe, transparent and supportive space for public and community leaders to explore, discuss and sustain anti-racism and equitable practice.

The forum will include specific guidance from experts in supporting the community in identifying and denouncing hidden racism, racial profiling and inequitable practices.

Outcomes will include:

  • Engaged research facilitating evidence-based action,
  • Enduring institutional networks that support communities,
  • Evolution in attitudes,
  • Building of social bridges resulting in increased social cohesion.

Remarks:

  • The activity will take place in English.
  • French simultaneous interpretation will be provided.
  • The conference setup will be hybrid.
  • In-person participate will gather at: Centre socio-communautaire Le 6767
  • The link will be emailed to online registered participants
Thank you to our funders
Register
MISC.
AMI-Quebec is hiring a Family Peer Support Worker. Deadline to apply is September 30th. For more info, please click here.
Black Girls Gather (A Book Club) is a bilingual program that is open to young Black girls and non-binary persons between 12 and 17 years old.
Registration period: August 1st 2022 to October 1st 2022
Duration of program: January 2023 to June 2023
For 12 to 14 year olds, register
here!
For 15 to 17 year olds, register here!
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Copyright © 2022 Black Community Resource Centre, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp