It’s a new program that the province is hoping will help the English community.
The Minister Responsible for Relations with English Speaking Quebecers, Kathleen Weil, announced nearly $7 million will be going to organizations that offer services to English-speaking Quebecers.
“We want you to feel it’s your home here,” Weil said. “We want you to feel like you can fully participate so we want to be able to support you in your dream to have your own children, grandchildren grow up here.”
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Most of the money, $5.7 million, will be given to 25 organizations in the Community Health and Social Services Network.
The rest will be split among Literacy Quebec, Senior Action Quebec and the English Language Art Network, who will each receive $400,000.
The province says the money will help improve access to government services for anglophones and will also contribute to the retention of young English-speaking Quebecers.
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“The program we are announcing today puts into place the conditions to empower the English-speaking artists of Quebec in the social and economic life of our province,” said Guy Rodgers, the English Language Arts Network Director General.
The announcement is part of a $24.5-million commitment that the Liberals made in their last budget to support the vitality of the province’s anglophone community.
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Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) says though the grant program is something they’ve been pushing for, more is still needed.
“We take a positive view of the potential,” said QCGN President Geoffrey Chambers. “All those groups are good groups, but they exist among 250 other groups who weren’t there, so we have more to do.”
The funding announced on Tuesday will be given out over the next three years.
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