Zach Jutras sits down with Eva Ludvig, president of Talking Advocating Living in Quebec (TALQ) to speak about the lack of an English language debate for Quebec’s provincial election, and why one is needed.TALQ sent letters to leaders of the Quebec provincial parties explaining the importance of speaking with English Quebecers. 3 out of 5 provincial parties declined to participate in an English debate. Only Quebec Solidaire and the Conservative Party of Quebec had agreed. Due to a lack of participation, no debate will be held. Voters will go to the polls on October 5th, and 3 French debates will be held ahead of election night.

Who gets to celebrate publicly in Montréal?
After Morocco’s victory over Canada in the FIFA World Cup on July 4, thousands of people gathered in Petit Maghreb to celebrate. But instead of simply directing traffic or managing crowds, the SPVM deployed dozens of officers in riot gear, alongside mounted police, into the heart of the North African neighbourhood near the Saint-Michel metro station.

In this episode of Local 514, host Kalden Dhatsenpa speaks with Moroccan-Pakistani community educator, researcher, and Habibti Please host Nashwa Lina Khan, who was present during the celebrations. She describes witnessing police corralling supporters, ordering people to disperse, and maintaining an overwhelming presence even though the festivities remained largely peaceful.

Together, they examine what happened that night and explore the larger questions it raises about policing, belonging, and public space in Québec. Why are some communities’ celebrations treated as a public safety concern while others are embraced? How does anti-Muslim racism shape law enforcement methods? And who ultimately has the right to celebrate—and take up space—in Montréal’s streets?

Nashwa describes what she saw, and questions how islamophobia in quebec extends into the limitation of celebration by muslims. Who has the right to the city? Who is allowed to celebrate? and who does the police not want out in the streets to express joy?

Federal inmates in Quebec are about to lose a key program that aids in their rehabilitation. For almost as long as CEGEPs have existed in Québec, they have been providing educational opportunities to inmates in federal institutions’ prisons across the province. This program has supported rehabilitation for thousands over 52 years. However, Correctional Service Canada announced in February 2026 that it would end its funding, causing concerns that the program’s loss could damage rehabilitation efforts.

Samuel Rochette, a psychology teacher who has taught in Quebec’s federal prisons, is among those pushing back against the decision. He joins Local 514 host Kalden Dhatsenpa to explain what the program’s closure could mean for incarcerated students.

Funding has been extended through September, beyond the program’s original June 30 end date, to allow some incarcerated students to finish their diplomas. But Rochette says the credential is only one part of what students stand to lose. He argues that the routine, responsibility, and sense of direction that come with post-secondary study are just as important, citing research linking prison education to lower reoffending rates. He says he’s seen those changes firsthand in the classroom.

Without the program, Rochette says many of his students are uncertain about what comes next. Some have told him they expect to return to drug use simply to pass the time, while others say the classroom was one of the few places in prison where they felt treated as human beings. Those accounts show what could be lost if a long-standing pathway to rehabilitation were to disappear.