Article content

It’s a sad day for Quebec anglophones and English-language rights. The Office québécois de la langue anglaise (OQLA), which was founded in February 1996 and has attracted over 20,000 members, is officially closing its operations.

The OQLA was founded because of a dire need for pushback against the continual erosion and disappearance of the English language in Quebec.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Opinion: Forty years after Bill 101, anglophones are tired, apathetic Back to video

The reason for our closing is not that the need has disappeared, it is more because of apathy.

There certainly is a need. Without pushback, it seems likely that English will completely disappear from the face of Quebec. It continues to be important to draw attention to injustices and abuses by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). It is just that the anglophone community is tired after four decades of language fights and referendums.

It is slightly ironic that our timing coincides with the 40th anniversary of Bill 101, passed into law on Aug. 26, 1977. This infamous law followed the Parti Québécois electoral victory of Nov. 15, 1976, which led to a mass exodus of Quebec anglophones and was the beginning of the financial decline of Montreal and the establishment of Toronto as the financial capital of Canada.