New documentary explores anglophone sense of belonging in Quebec – or lack of it

Questions of identity and belonging within Quebec – especially among anglophones and cultural minorities – have taken centre stage with the passing of Bill 96, the province’s French-language reform.

Questioning one’s identity and place within the province is also at the heart of a new film by writer and director Guy Rodgers: “What We Choose to Remember.”

“This project was about looking at how people feel about their place in Quebec, how they feel they belong, where they feel they belong. And it seemed like a very timely piece,” said Rodgers.

The film was funded by the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise, which ensures concerns of English-speaking Quebecers are being listened to by the provincial government.

“When the secretary of the relations with English-speaking Quebecers surveyed a lot of people in the English-speaking community, it found to nobody’s surprise that English speakers in general do not have a strong sense of belonging in Quebec, and they do not have a strong sense of identity,” said Rodgers.

RELATED:

• International student decides to leave Quebec after Bill 96 is adopted
• Will Bill 96 affect how English-speakers in the province receive health care?

The film speaks to 36 individuals, all from different backgrounds, whose families arrived in four successive waves of immigration.

“Individuals and communities in order to thrive in a territory need to have a stake in it,” said Lorraine O’Donnell, a Concordia University research associate who takes part in the movie. “They need to have a feeling that they belong, that they can be full participants, that they have futures here.”

“What We Choose to Remember” looks at bringing both English- and French-speaking Quebecers together by sharing stories and experiences, to find common ground.

“The francophones who have screened the video have told me that they are seeing aspects of the English-speaking community that they had never known, that they had never suspected,” said Rodgers. “And I’m hoping that this will allow us to have a different kind of dialogue about where we are and where we’re going.”

The entire film is available here.