Director's Message - May 2021

Change. We fear it. We embrace it.

As the third wave of COVID-19 has rolled in, some of us are starting to acknowledge and accept our new reality. Our worlds and the way we live within them have dramatically shifted. We must remain adaptable, resilient, but also be gentle with ourselves as we face an uncertain future.

Thankfully, we are also experiencing moments of hope – photos on our newsfeeds of another loved one receiving their vaccine, the cautious yet optimistic reopening of the arts sector, addressing systemic issues and taking pivotal action toward inclusion and accessibility, promises of funding to assist the cultural sector in its relaunch efforts.

With all this in mind, I step into my new role as Executive Director of ELAN with a humble and honest question – how do I lead fearlessly in a moment of great change?

The answer is to embrace the gifts I have been offered. I am privileged to have been handed the reins of a sturdy organization, whose mission and values anchor its work in supporting and elevating Quebec’s English-speaking artists and community. I have been welcomed by an incredible Board of Directors and team with open arms, patience, and generosity. The inimitable Guy Rodgers has imparted institutional knowledge, rich histories, and paths yet to be explored; my deep respect and admiration for his legacy will forever inform and nourish my work at ELAN. I have the trust of a vital and engaged membership that I shall continue to earn and reciprocate in the years to come.

As I immerse myself in getting to know the lay of the land, I invite you to share your thoughts, concerns, needs, challenges and successes you are experiencing as you navigate these unchartered territories. I am honoured to serve you and advocate on your behalf.

Let’s embrace this change together.

Patrick Lloyd Brennan, Executive Director

Land Acknowledgement

ELAN is an official minority language organization within a country that recognizes two languages as official. ELAN is located in Tiohtià:ke, the original name for Montreal in Kanien’kéha, the language of the Mohawk—also known as Mooniyang, which is the Anishinaabeg name given to the city by the Algonquin. While we are based in this city, our projects have also taken place in many regions across Quebec.

We acknowledge the colonial origin of English and French in Canada, and recognize that both languages benefit from official status throughout the land. The province that we know as Quebec is an amalgamation of the traditional territories of the Innu and Inuit nations, Algonquian nations, as well as the Mohawk nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Kanien’kéha and Anishinaabemowin are but two of the original languages of this province; Atikamekw, Cree, Inuktitut, and Innu-aimun are also among the many Indigenous languages spoken across Quebec as majority languages, all well before French and English.

ELAN acknowledges the important work being done by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to revive the traditional languages of these territories, and their advocacy for the official status of Indigenous languages.

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Land Acknowledgement