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<h1 class="gmail-detailHeadline">Anglophones get a nod in Quebec's new cultural policy, but funding remains unclear</h1><h2 class="gmail-deck">$600M plan acknowledges 'undeniable' contribution of anglos, but offers few details on financial support</h2><div class="gmail-byline"><span class="gmail-imageMedia gmail-author-image gmail-full"><div class="gmail-placeholder"><div class="gmail-placeholderImage gmail-aspect-56"></div><img alt="" src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.3985516.1525980215!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/square_140/steve-rukavina.jpg" class="gmail-loaded gmail-largeImage"></div></span><div class="gmail-bylineDetails"><span class="gmail-authorText"><span>Steve Rukavina</span></span><span class="gmail-bullet"> · </span>CBC News<span class="gmail-bullet"> · </span><time class="gmail-timeStamp" datetime="2018-06-12T20:24:52.049Z">Posted: Jun 12, 2018 4:24 PM ET | Last Updated: June 12</time></div></div><div><span class="gmail-imageMedia gmail-leadmedia-story gmail-full"><div class="gmail-placeholder"><div class="gmail-placeholderImage gmail-aspect-56"></div><img alt="" src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.4703025.1528831197!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_780/philippe-couillard.jpg" class="gmail-loaded gmail-largeImage"></div><span class="gmail-leadimage-caption">Premier
Philippe Couillard announced a sweeping, $600-million cultural policy
Tuesday in Montreal, saying anglophones have made undeniable
contributions to Quebec culture. (Radio-Canada)</span></span><div class="gmail-story"><span><p>The
Quebec government's new $600-million cultural policy acknowledges the
"undeniable" contribution of the anglophone community to Quebec's
culture, but it offers few concrete details on how anglophone cultural
institutions might benefit.</p><p>Premier Philippe Couillard and Culture
Minister Marie Montpetit presented the sweeping cultural action plan
before an audience of 200 industry insiders in downtown Montreal Tuesday
morning.</p><p>The five-year plan includes financial commitments
for almost every aspect of culture, including film and TV production,
digital entrepreneurship, more school field trips to cultural events,
and even $5 million to allow museums to offer free admission one Sunday
every month.</p><h2>English language not mentioned in financial document</h2><p>While
the new policy clearly underlines the important role of anglophone
culture in Quebec, the accompanying document that spells out specific
financial commitments makes no mention of anglophones or anglophone
cultural institutions.</p><p>While there's no mention of English, the document does mention other languages.</p><p>It
sets aside $11.5 million to protect the French language, including
"intensifying the promotion of the usage of the French language in the
public space."</p><p>It also makes specific mention of recognizing the
value of Aboriginal languages, as part of a $17-million investment in
First Nations culture.</p><p>At the news conference, Couillard insisted
that the anglophone community was an important part of the plan,
mentioning Leonard Cohen as an obvious example of the richness of
anglophone culture in Quebec.</p><div><span><span class="gmail-imageMedia gmail-image gmail-full"><div class="gmail-placeholder"><div class="gmail-placeholderImage gmail-aspect-56" style="padding-bottom:56.29%"></div><img alt="" src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.4471515.1515001997!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/leonard-cohen.jpg" class="gmail-loaded gmail-largeImage"></div><span class="gmail-leadimage-caption">Couillard said Leonard Cohen was an obvious example of the influence anglophone culture has had in Quebec. </span></span></span></div><p>"English-speaking Quebecers are
part of our community, and their culture also must be seen and be
heard as part of the Quebec culture," Couillard said.</p><h2>'At least they have made the commitment'</h2><p>Guy
Rodgers, executive director of the English Language Arts Network, said
even without specific financial commitments, mentioning anglophones like
this is significant. </p><p>"There's an inherent complication in
supporting and promoting French, and finding a place for English, and
we've been hearing that they were having a very difficult time within
the ministry juggling those two propositions," Rodgers told CBC News.</p><p>"In
the briefing documents, there was nothing about English-speaking
artists. There was only one reference to the 'problem' of artists
performing in English," Rodgers said.</p><div><strong><span><ul class="gmail-similarLinks"><li class="gmail-similarListItem"><a class="gmail-similarLink" href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-cabinet-shuffle-1.4349111"><span class="gmail-similarLinkText">Couillard turns to fresh faces, appoints minister of Anglo affairs in cabinet shuffle</span></a></li></ul></span></strong></div><p>Rodgers said the final policy document is therefore a big improvement.</p><p>"Given
that we came into the process very pessimistic, we're OK with where we
are at the end of this. Exactly what they're going to do is not clear,
but at least they have made the commitment," he said.</p><p>While the
plan makes spending commitments over five years, it my never see the
light of day if the Liberals are unseated in the fall election, set for
Oct. 1.</p><p>PQ leader Jean-Francois Lisée said releasing the plan in
the months before an election makes it more like a campaign promise,
rather than a genuine policy document.</p></span></div></div>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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