Letter from the Executive Director, September 2022

Firstly, I want to extend a sincere thank-you to all who joined us for our AGM on August 15^th, we had a very successful meeting followed by a wonderful surprise party for our founder, Guy Rodgers, who is apparently retiring (lol – if you know, you know). It was a pleasure to meet so many of you who took the time to come and support us at our first in-person AGM in two-years.

image of the audience of attendees at the ELAN agm

Audience of attendees at the AGM

image of Guy Rex Rodgers speaking at elan's agm

Guy Rodgers speaking at the AGM

In late July, we had the honour of welcoming the Hon. Ginette Petitpas-Taylor, Minister of Official Languages, and her wonderful team, to the site of the new Community Digital Arts Hub studio in downtown Montreal. While meeting with the Minister, we discussed the challenges that artists have faced since the pandemic devastated our community, as well as the issues we face with the implementation of Bill 96. It was a productive and encouraging meeting, and we look forward to working together in the future.

Photograph of three people seated at a table and two standing behind them smiling for their photo being taken

Top: Daniel Webster-Project Manager for the Community Digital Arts Hub (right), Chaouki Dakdouki-Chief Of Staff at Patrimoine canadien — Canadian Heritage (left). Bottom row: Li Li- President of the ELAN Board of Directors (right), The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor- Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (center), Vanessa Herrick- ELAN Executive Director (left).

In other exciting news – we have a new website! Our amazing communications team have worked hard to update and simplify our website to make it easier for you to find the information that you’re looking for. Take a minute and check it out www.quebec-elan.org , we are really proud of how it turned out.

Have a good September!

Vanessa Herrick
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.