St-Lambert, October 7th, 2019 – The consultation tour led by the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers, Christopher Skeete, made a stop today in St-Lambert. During this session, Mr. Skeete had an opportunity to spend some time with representatives of Québec’s English-speaking communities
The main goal of the tour, announced by Mr. Skeete last July, is to find out more about the needs and concerns of English-speaking Quebecers. Based on the theme Building Bridges, it will make communities more aware of the mandate of the Secretariat for relations with English-speaking Quebecers and the actions implemented by its partner organizations. Another goal is to ensure more effective coordination for government actions with respect to services to the English-speaking communities, including measures implemented and funded by several different government departments. While he has already travelled to New Carlisle and Québec City as part of this series of regional consultation sessions, Mr. Skeete will also be travelling to Laval, Montreal, Sherbrooke and Gatineau.
Quote:
“The improvement of the services provided for English-speaking Quebecers is a priority for our government. In my view, and because I have a special interest in the regions, it is essential to go out to meet with the communities in their home territory. The Québec government’s mission to offer high-quality services to the English-speaking communities relies on its partner organizations, which are indispensable allies. I am looking forward to completing the rest of the tour and to building more bridges.”
“In the Montérégie region, I heard about the dire need for information and assistance in navigating public services and administration. The complexity of the Montérégie territory is an additional challenge, as some communities can find themselves rather isolated.”
“I also heard about the difficulty for community organisations to access funding. Community representatives did however underline the important contribution of the "Enhancing Regional Community Capacity" initiative, which is financed by the Secretariat for relations with English-speaking Quebecers. According to participants, this initiative has helped community organizations to open offices in under-served territories and better reach English speakers across the Montérégie region.”
Christopher Skeete, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier for relations with English-speaking Quebecers
About the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise
The mission of the Secretariat for relations with English-speaking Quebecers is to provide liaison with the sectoral, regional and provincial groups representing English-speaking Quebecers, and to ensure that the concerns of the English-speaking communities are taken into account in government orientations and decisions, in collaboration with the government departments and agencies concerned. In order to protect the rights and promote the well-being of English-speaking Quebecers and ensure that they have full access to public services, the Secretariat works on an ongoing basis with their representative organizations. In addition, the last budget significantly increased the funding available for various programs designed to support the initiatives proposed by a range of community groups in Québec.
