Talk:List of English-speaking Quebecers

Unnecessary bio information
Most people in the list have their own articles where with birht-death dates and other biographical information. As such, a lot of info given in this list is unnecessary and makes for an ugly list to read. Perhaps splitting into seperate sections based on occupation (e.g. politicians, musicians, business people, etc.), leaving just the wikilinks to the bio articles like it is done in many other List of people articles, would be preferable.--Boffob 19:14, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Criteria for inclusion on this list
This List was proposed for deletion in November 2023, on the basis that there were no criteria for inclusion on the list and it was simply a list of people with English last names who had some marginal connection to Quebec.

After discussion, a consensus developed that the fact that there is a well-documented article on the subject (English-speaking Quebecers) supported a list of English-speaking Quebecers, but the list needs clear criteria for inclusion, consistent with WP:LISTCRITERIA:


 * "Selection criteria (also known as inclusion criteria or membership criteria) should be unambiguous, objective, and supported by reliable sources."

For the discussion, see: Articles for deletion/List of English-speaking Quebecers

Based on the discussion, I would suggest that there are three criteria for inclusion on the list:


 * 1 The person was resident in Quebec for some period of time;
 * 2 English was the primary language the person used while in Quebec;
 * 3 The person meets the general notability requirements and has an article about them. As well, if they have left Quebec, their notability includes their activities or career in Quebec.

The reason I suggest these criteria is that the category of "English-speaking Quebecers" is a linguistic criteria, not an ethnic one. If a person ceases to live in Quebec, particularly if they moved away from Quebec at a young age, they may no longer qualify as an "English-speaking Quebecer". Even if they are generally notable, they should not be included in this list unless they are notable for their activities while in Quebec.

One other point is that the starting point for inclusion on this list is July 1, 1867, the date the province of Quebec came into existence. To be included in this list, a person needs to have been active in Quebec after that date. (This is not a comment that there were no English or French speaking groups prior to that date, but the adoption of a clear start date for the category, since it is tied to residence in Quebec, not an ethnic affiliation.)

I would welcome thoughts, comments, and suggestions; this is just meant as an initial draft.

Once we have reached a consensus, I would suggest putting the criteria as the lead to the article. It would then be necessary to go through the article and cull individuals who do not meet the criteria, particularly the requirement that they be notable for their activities in Quebec, if they have subsequently left.

Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 13:49, 30 November 2023 (UTC)


 * Since there has not been any objection to these proposed criteria for inclusion on the list, I have created an introductory section on the List page, and have set out the criteria there. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 16:20, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

Are references needed?
This list has had a "References needed" tag since 2007. Are references needed for a list of people who already have an article about them? Wouldn't that make the list of people very cumbersome? I'm not suggesting that Wikipedia is itself a reliable source, but couldn't we just put in a note in the lead section that says: "For detailed information on each person in this list, please consult their individual article." Then, the reliable sources that are cited in the individual articles would be the basis for their inclusion on this list. I note, for example, that the List of Premiers of Quebec does not include any cites. Thoughts? Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 14:11, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Just noticed that List of Premiers of Quebec is a Featured List. That suggests that references are not needed for a list of pre-existing articles about people?  But I'm not familiar with how lists work.  Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 15:33, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * @Mr Serjeant Buzfuz - I also wasn't sure about this and had to double check. Per WP:LISTVERIFY, stand-alone lists "are subject to Wikipedia's content policies and guidelines for articles, including verifiability and citing sources. This means statements should be sourced where they appear, and they must provide inline citations if they contain any of the four kinds of material absolutely required to have citations." But for lists, there is a choice between general references and inline citations and I think the List of premiers of Quebec lacks inline citations because of the general references at the bottom. Since there is probably not a reference text that will encompass the entirety of the list, we will need citations for all of the entries. I think getting started on a few obvious entries and then adding the refimprove template is a good place to begin. What do you think? Best, Kazamzam (talk) 17:52, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Hi Kazamzam, as I read that passage, not all statements must have a cite, only the four listed at WP:MINREF:
 * "Wikipedia policy requires an inline citation to a reliable source specifically for the following four types of statements:"
 * all quotations
 * all material whose verifiability has been challenged
 * all material that is likely to be challenged
 * all contentious matter about living and recently deceased persons.
 * In the case of a list of people:
 * The first doesn't apply.
 * The second is a "wait and see"; can deal with it if it happens.
 * The third one -- personally, I don't think individual listings are likely to be challenged.
 * The fourth, I just don't see applying, if all the list gives is the name of the person and reason for including them in the list.
 * (I don't think a hatnote for the entire article calling for refs is specific enough to trigger 2 and 3.)
 * I've also checked the lists for people from each of the provinces, and the Franco-Ontarians list:
 * List of people from Alberta - long list; 3 refs
 * List of people from British Columbia - long list; 0 refs
 * List of people from Manitoba - very long list; 4 refs
 * List of people from New Brunswick - very long list, divided by towns and counties; 11 refs
 * List of people from Newfoundland and Labrador - very long list; 0 refs
 * List of people from Nova Scotia - very long list; 7 refs
 * List of people from Ontario - very long list; 10 refs
 * List of people from Prince Edward Island - shorter list than some of the other provinces; 0 refs
 * List of people from Quebec - very long list; 1 ref
 * List of people from Saskatchewan - very long list; 0 refs
 * List of Franco-Ontarians - medium list; 2 refs.
 * What I take from this is that lists of people don't require refs for every single entry. No harm in including refs, but unless there is a challenge to a specific entry, based on the criteria set out at the head of the list, I don't think refs are mandatory, under WP:MINREF. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 19:51, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * @Mr Serjeant Buzfuz - that's a fair point. My concern is that some of the names on the list don't have a reference for their status specfiically as an English-speaking Quebecer in their main article so, yes, a potential wait-and-see issue but probably not going to be challenged. I'd rather have it than not, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it when there are so many other statements that actually need references. Thanks for digging into this further! Kazamzam (talk) 20:13, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * At several AfDs for lists, I've seen blue links to existing articles suffice for verification if the linked article supported the subject's inclusion in the list. So, John Doe doesn't need a footnote on this list if our John Doe article makes it clear that Doe's an Anglophone Quebecer per this list's requirements. -- A. B. (talk • contribs •  global count)  20:13, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I think many Anglophone Quebecers are obviously Anglophones and Quebecers but there is nothing in a reliable source explicitly stating their language status. I doubt people will challenge those entries except to be POINT-y.
 * -- A. B. (talk • contribs •  global count)  20:18, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the information about how lists have been treated at AfD. That is very helpful.  I agree that many bios will not expressly state that a person is an anglophone;  we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 21:21, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

@Mr Serjeant Buzfuz and @Kazamzam, thank you so very much for your contributions here and at the AfD. This is an important topic but the particulars are hard to pin down. You all are doing good work sorting through this. -- A. B. (talk • contribs •  global count)  21:28, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

Possible deletions - Edge cases
I'm working my way through the list, and have deleted several individuals that were born in Quebec but left and are notable for elsewhere. I'll put individuals here that might be judgment calls. Thoughts?


 * Elie Abel - born and educated in Quebec; grad studies in US;  journalist, with some time with the Montreal Gazette;  but bulk of his career in the US.  I'm inclined to delete, since the time with the Gazette doesn't seem particularly notable.
 * Ben Addelman - born and educated in Quebec, did his first film as a student project; can't tell from the article if he still lives in Quebec?
 * Melissa Altro - born and educated in Quebec; article doesn't say if she still is in Quebec?
 * Jay Baruchel - born in Ottawa, grew up in Montreal; extensive film career;  article doesn't say if he still has a Quebec connection?
 * Daniel Bayne - if there is a consensus on clear start date of July 1, 1867, he should be deleted.
 * Don Ferguson (actor) - clear Quebec roots, and he worked for CBC, but article doesn't say if that was in Quebec?
 * Naomi Klein - born and raised in Quebec, but can't tell from the article if she has had a Quebec presence as an adult? Currently lives in BC.
 * James McGill - if there is a consensus on clear start date of July 1, 1867, he should be deleted.
 * John Molson - if there is a consensus on clear start date of July 1, 1867, he should be deleted.
 * Conrad Poirier - article lists him as Québécois, and his last name is French; nothing in article suggests he's an English-speaking Canadian?
 * Sam Roberts (singer-songwriter) - born and education in Quebec, where he started his first band; not clear if he has any ongoing connection to Quebec?
 * William Shatner - born and educated in Quebec, left at a young age, but has been given an honorary degree by McGill?
 * Rufus Wainwright - raised and educated in Quebec and started band there; not clear from article if he still has any connections to Quebec?

Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 23:26, 30 November 2023 (UTC)


 * I would count Jay Baruchel. He continued living in Montreal even as he was getting Hollywood roles and only left in 2015, mostly for work reasons. He's also very vocal about his Montreal roots, still considers himself a Montrealer at heart (all per this article) and seems to be accepted as such by others even after his move: the Montreal Gazette calls him "the Montreal actor" and CTV Montreal calls him a "native son". — Kawnhr (talk) 19:19, 1 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks for this. I will include refs based on these cites for him. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 15:34, 6 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Added "strikethrough" for individuals whose status has been resolved, one way or the other. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 15:57, 6 December 2023 (UTC)