“Quebec pride” and emphasize Quebec’s “distinct culture,” so as to cover up the fundamental class divisions that run through Quebec and all 21st century capitalist societies, and foster a nationalist outlook, including that young people should politically define themselves as “Québécois.”
The new course is part of a redoubled campaign by Legault and his “Quebec First” Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government to stir up Quebec chauvinism and mobilize the Quebec nationalist right and far-right.
Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault confirmed this goal, saying in a burst of candour unusual for a capitalist politician that the new course will produce good citizens “with obviously a little chauvinistic flavour.”
Legault spelled out the reactionary political objective underlying the course in a speech he gave to the CAQ’s youth wing in September. “This is not the time to divide Quebec,” the premier thundered, “This is the time to defend our social cohesion.” He went on to define the CAQ as “a bulwark against radicals” and “a bulwark for our national cohesion.” This is language historically associated with the far right and fascist dictatorships to justify the brutal repression of all forms of working class opposition.
Since his election in 2018, Legault, a multimillionaire and former Air Transat CEO, has made the defense of the Quebec “nation” the ostensible mission of his government. This has not stopped the CAQ from slashing public services, attacking working conditions, denouncing the “overly generous” wages of Quebec manufacturing workers, repeatedly threatening to criminalize strikes, and prioritizing profits over human lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early in its mandate, the CAQ pushed through two chauvinist laws that cut the province’s annual intake of immigrants, exclude minorities wearing religious symbols from teaching in Quebec schools and bar Muslim women wearing full-face veils from receiving education, health care and other public services.
More recently, the Legault government has stoked fears over the continued predominance of the French language in Quebec to justify the introduction of Bill 96—legislation that would significantly expand the scope of the province’s Charter of the French Language to allow even more language discrimination. Bill 96 would amend the Canadian Constitution to enshrine the existence of a “Quebec nation” with French as its only “common language,” and restrict the right to receive provincial public services in English to those deemed part of the “historic” English-speaking community–thus excluding all immigrants, and potentially those whose parents immigrated to Canada one or more generations back.
During the last federal election, Legault openly supported the hard-right Conservatives of Erin O’Toole, whose anti-worker policies align with those of the CAQ, on the grounds that they are the only Federalist Party that respects the “autonomy of the Quebec nation.”
A recent announcement that the mandatory redistribution of seats in the federal House of Commons following the 2021 census will likely mean that Quebec will lose one federal MP prompted a veritable battle cry from Sonia LeBel, Quebec’s Minister responsible for Canadian Relations and Treasury Board President. “We have a nation to defend,” avowed LeBel.
