New book by filmmaker Guy Rex Rodgers documents conversations across Quebec following the release of his immigration documentary
Montreal author to appear at Atwater Library series and Quebec City launch event in May
MONTREAL — Quebec filmmaker and community activist Guy Rex Rodgers is releasing a new book that examines the province’s complex linguistic and cultural identity through personal stories gathered during a three-year tour across Quebec.
Titled What We Choose To Forget, the book follows Rodgers’ travels after the 2022 release of his documentary film What We Choose To Remember, which explored successive waves of immigration in Quebec from the British Conquest through the arrival of international students in the 21st century.
The documentary’s release coincided with renewed debate around language and identity in Quebec after the Coalition Avenir Québec government passed Bill 96, legislation aimed at strengthening the use of French in the province. Rodgers said the political climate intensified public discussion around belonging, language and cultural memory.
Over the following three years, Rodgers screened the film in communities throughout Quebec and invited audience members to share their own experiences. Those conversations became the foundation for What We Choose To Forget, which focuses on perspectives often absent from mainstream historical narratives.
The book recounts stories from English-speaking Catholics who expected to attend French Catholic schools but were denied access, as well as accounts from immigrants and allophones navigating Quebec’s evolving social and linguistic landscape.
“This is not a tale of unspeakable violence. There are no horrifying villains and, sadly, few inspiring heroes,” says Rodgers. “This is a simple human story about fear, vulnerability and tribal defences. This is a story of loveable underdogs, all struggling to preserve their histories, languages and cultures. Their tragedy is what they have chosen to forget — about themselves and about each other.”
Challenging Traditional Narratives of Quebec History
Book highlights the province’s multicultural and multilingual roots
Rodgers argues that Quebec’s history cannot be reduced to the traditional French-English divide often described as “Two Solitudes.” Instead, he presents a broader historical portrait shaped by diverse communities and shifting identities.
According to the book, the Saint Lawrence Valley — considered the heartland of Nouvelle France — was never exclusively francophone or Catholic. Rodgers points to Scottish and Irish soldiers fighting on both sides during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, as well as the establishment of one of the earliest English schools in Gaspésie following the British Conquest.
He also notes that many of the first settlers in the Eastern Townships and Ottawa Valley were English speakers, while 20th-century immigration introduced a wider range of cultural and linguistic communities to the province.
“These ‘immigrants’ — who come from many countries and speak a variety of languages — are proud to be Quebecers,” says Rodgers. “What We Choose To Forget gives them a voice, and they have a lot to say about Quebec and their place in it!”
The book chronicles Rodgers’ journey through 55 communities over 30 months, spanning 10 seasons, four flights, two train trips and thousands of kilometres on the road. Along the way, he conducted hundreds of conversations about Quebec’s past, present and future.
Academic and Community Leaders Praise the Work
Early reviews describe the book as an important contribution to Quebec discourse
Advance reviews from academics, community leaders and media commentators have positioned the book as a significant contribution to discussions surrounding Quebec identity and minority communities.
“Guy Rex Rodgers has a remarkable ability to reveal the humanity that lies beneath Quebec’s complex history and politics. Ours is a complex society that resists simple explanations, yet Rodgers opens this world with clarity and grace, helping us better understand ourselves while offering the rest of the country a window into our lived reality,” said Frank Baylis, co-executive chairman of Baylis Medical Technologies Inc. and former Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds—Dollard.
Raymond Jess, PhD, of Concordia University’s School of Irish Studies, said the book builds upon earlier scholarship examining English-speaking Quebec communities.
“Rodgers’ work updates the historical conversation first established by Ronald Rudin’s The Forgotten Quebecers and Clift and McLeod’s The English Fact in Quebec. The inclusion of allophone voices is especially pertinent given the changing demographics of the province. For future historians, What We Choose To Forget will doubtless become indispensable to a historical understanding of Anglo-Quebec in the first half of the 21st century,” Jess said.
Reviewers from Quebec publications also offered strong endorsements.
“Guy Rex Rodgers is telling English Quebecers our history in a novel way. If you are part of it, the stories will make you proud and remind you that this is your home. If you are not part of it, they will show you that Quebec’s English-speaking communities are a valuable part of the province’s social, cultural, economic and political fabric,” wrote Christopher Neal of Accenti Magazine.
Mike Cohen of The Suburban described the book as essential reading for Quebec residents and political leaders.
“I could not put this book down. In fact, I would go so far as saying it should be mandatory reading for every person in Quebec, anglophone and francophone, especially the politicians,” Cohen wrote.
Upcoming Events and Availability
Rodgers is scheduled to appear at the Atwater Library Lunchtime Series on Thursday, May 14, with participation available both in person and through Zoom. A Quebec City launch event featuring readings and a question-and-answer session is planned for Sunday, May 24 at the Morrin Centre.
What We Choose To Forget is published by the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN) with support from the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise.
The book is available for purchase through Paragraphe Bookstore and can also be downloaded free of charge as an eBook or PDF through the project website.
Rodgers is a Montreal-based filmmaker and columnist who has produced eight documentaries focusing on anglophone and allophone communities in Quebec. He is also the founder of the English Language Arts Network and co-founder of the Quebec Writers’ Federation and the Quebec Drama Federation. In 2015, he was named a compagnon dans l’Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec.