Advocacy

Arts & Community Advocacy

ELAN became a member of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) in 2006, and held a seat on the board for several years. ELAN collaborates closely with QCGN in many interventions in Ottawa. More importantly, ELAN works closely with QCGN and its members to ensure that community leaders appreciate the value of arts and culture as vectors of community vitality, positive identity, and youth retention.

ELAN works with Canada Council, CALQ and CAM to organize information sessions and grant writing workshops for English-speaking artists.

In 2018, ELAN received funding from the Secretariat for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers. One component of this new Government Relations project is to establish an Arts, Culture and Heritage Working Group in Quebec with participation from CALQ, SODEC, the Ministries of Culture and Education, and Télé-Québec.

Meeting with Canada Council for the Arts’ CEO Simon Brault.

Official Languages Advocacy

ELAN’s main funding source has been the Department of Canadian Heritage, under provisions of Canada’s Official Languages Act. ELAN is frequently invited to Ottawa for consultations with Parliamentary Committees and the Senate Standing Committee.

In collaboration with la Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (FCCF), ELAN ensures that arts and culture are well represented as important elements of community vitality.

The Official Languages Act celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019 with year-long, cross-country consultation, seeking ways modernize the Act. ELAN was actively involved in consultations in Ottawa and Montreal.

Broadcast & Production Advocacy

Since 2008, in collaboration with Kirwan Cox, who became Executive Director of the Quebec English-language Production Council (QPEC) after serving several years on ELAN’s board of directors, ELAN has made dozens of interventions to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), regarding broadcast policy and broadcasters’ licence renewals.

In 2018, ELAN joined a community media consortium with three community media partners (two representing radio, TV and newspapers in minority French-language communities across Canada, and the Quebec Community Newspapers Association). ELAN is filling a gap by representing English-language Community Radio in Quebec, with assistance from Hugh Maynard.

NFB, ONF Agreement (2015).