Alliance Quebec (AQ) was a group formed in 1982 to lobby on behalf of speakers of the English language in the province of Quebec, Canada. It began as an umbrella group of most English-speaking organizations and institutions in the province, with approximately 15,000 members. At its height in the mid-1980s, the group had a network of affiliated anglophone groups throughout the province. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Lobbying is a concerted effort designed to achieve some result, typically from government authorities and elected officials. ... Anglo-Quebecers (also Anglo-Quebeckers) are English-speaking (anglophone) residents of the primarily French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec. ... An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. ...

Early Years: 1982-1989

With many of its founders being active in the Liberal Party of Quebec, AQ's ideology reflected that party's policies of compromise between linguistic groups combined with provincial government promotion of the French language in the province's public and economic spheres. Although few political scientists or historians credit AQ with a significant effect on public policy, the organization did receive significant media attention in both Quebec's anglophone and francophone media during the 1980s. The media often used AQ as a counterfoil to small Quebec nationalist groups such as the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. The Parti libéral du Québec (Liberal Party of Quebec), or PLQ, is a liberal political party in the Canadian province of Quebec. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... Quebec nationalism is the subject of many international studies together with the contemporary nationalism of Scotland, Catalonia and other non-sovereign regions of the world. ... The logo of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. ...

In December 1988, AQ's offices were destroyed in a case of arson. Then-president Royal Orr successfully sued Le Journal de Montreal and Tele-Metropole, for falsely reporting that he was the "prime suspect" in setting the blaze. The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Le Journal de Montréal is a tabloid daily newspaper in Montreal, Quebec, and is the largest-circulation French-language newspaper in North America. ... TVA is a private commercial Canadian French-language television network based in Quebec. ...

Middle Years: 1990-1998

AQ suffered a loss in popularity amongst some sectors of the anglophone community in 1989 and 1990, when the group's leaders supported the Quebec government's amendments to the Charter of the French Language, which were unpopular with the majority of Quebec anglophones. Right-wing critics of the organization dubbed it "Compliance Quebec" and "the lamb lobby" for its perceived unwillingness to challenge the government. Public infighting between so-called "moderates" and "radicals" within the group throughout the 1990s, along with a gradual decrease in interest among the general Quebec population in political issues involving language, led to the marginalization of AQ in the province's politics. The Charter of the French Language (also known as Bill 101) is a framework law in the province of Quebec, Canada, defining the linguistic rights of all Quebecers and making French, the language of the majority, the sole official language of Quebec. ...

Final Years: 1998-2005

In May 1998, a "radical" president was elected, Montreal Gazette columnist William Johnson. He won mainly with support of the tiny Equality Party, and he in turn supported its members for places on AQ's board of directors. Johnson initially made headlines by holding demonstrations against businesses that did not place English on their in-store advertising, as well as by amending AQ's constitution to add his controversial view that Canada's federal government should refuse to recognize a Quebec declaration of independence. The increased publicity soon gave way to a negative reaction from AQ's former supporters, which ultimately left the group without enough support to continue: The Gazette is a major English-language daily newspaper produced out of Montreal, Quebec. ... William Johnson C.M. (born 1931) is a Canadian academic, journalist and author. ... The Equality Party (French: Parti Égalité) is a political party in Quebec, Canada, that promotes the use of English in Quebec on an equal basis with French. ...

• half of the group's board of directors (those not associated with the Equality Party) quit the group en masse in April 1999;
• membership declined steadily (4,806 members in May 1998; 2,440 members in August 2001; 1,551 members in December 2003);
• all affiliated groups broke ties with AQ by 2001;
• several of AQ's regional chapters dissolved themselves and formed under new names to avoid being associated with AQ;
• private donations dropped over 90% from 1998 to 2003, with corporate donations stopping completely;
• the federal government, its main sponsor, decreased funding by 69% between 2000 and 2004. When the Department of Canadian Heritage discontinued its grant in 2005, which was at that point the source of more than 90% of AQ's funding, the group became insolvent and ceased activity.

The Department of Canadian Heritage, also referred to as Heritage Canada or simply Department of Heritage, is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies regarding the arts, culture, media, communications networks, and sports and multiculturalism. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Presidents

• Eric Maldoff (1982-1985) lawyer
• Michael Goldbloom (1985-1987), lawyer
• Royal Orr (1987-1989), writer, broadcaster
• Robert Keaton (1989-1993), former federal court judge
• Michael Hamelin (1993-1997), lawyer, immigration and refugee board member
• Constance Middleton-Hope (1997-1998), journalist
• William Johnson (1998-2000) journalist, author
• Anthony Housefather (2000-2001), lawyer, municipal politician
• Brent Tyler (2001-2004), lawyer
• Darryl Gray (2004-2005), member of the clergy