First, let me say that we understand the importance of protecting and promoting French, and we also deeply care about our land's indigenous languages, many of which, unlike French, are in danger of extinction. However, community vitality as a concept is about more than language. It is about the health of a community and what it needs to survive.
English-speaking Quebeckers live in the only province where the use of language is restricted by provincial law. This has consequences, and we don't feel welcome in our own province.
Unemployment and economic security are major concerns for English-speaking Quebeckers. There are so many opportunities for bilingual people outside of Quebec, but we ask the federal government to provide programs that help English speakers, bilingual or not, find meaningful careers in Quebec, because we would like to work in the province we call home.
I would also like to mention that we know our language is not threatened. The vitality of our community, however, is dwindling because of the focus Ottawa places on language preservation as the principal marker of vitality.