Hide this story that we cannot see!

“Cover this breast that I cannot see. By such objects souls are wounded, and this brings sinful thoughts. » The Tartuffeact III, scene 2, Molière.

If I trust many commentators, last week, the leader of the PQ, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, should not have reminded Quebecers of certain parts of their history. In an era that wants to be incredibly benevolent, Quebec seems to be one of the rare human groups in Canada that is criticized for recalling its past suffering. Liberal Minister Pablo Rodriguez finds this downright violent. His colleague François-Philippe Champagne encourages us to “look forward”. For New Democrat MP Alexandre Boulerice, Deportation is old. We remember that our suffering even made Canada’s special representative in charge of the fight against Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, vomit.^⁠1. I will spare you what is said on social media in English Canada.

I cannot imagine all these beautiful people showing the same insensitivity towards the indigenous nations, the Métis, all the former colonized people of the Earth, the Japanese imprisoned during the war, etc. But I’ll stop. I don’t like victim talk either. But I love Quebec, and just like our past suffering, the erasure of Quebec is an undeniable reality that must be remembered.

The erasure of the provinces

When the provinces complain about federal encroachments in their areas of jurisdiction, Prime Minister Trudeau tells them “We don’t care” and “Get out of the way” (shut up). It is a radical approach, in profound contradiction with federalism, I would say an attack on the very nature of Canada. The weakening of the provinces is a major trend in today’s Canada. Traditionally, conservatives opposed this phenomenon. Today it depends on the issues: housing, pipelines, the provinces’ right of withdrawal and secularism, the Conservative slogan is the same as that of the Liberals: shut up!

Cultural erasure

A few decades ago, Canada was defined by bilingualism and biculturalism. By instituting the multiculturalist doctrine, Trudeau Sr.’s stated objective was to make Quebecers a minority like any other. Today, Trudeau Jr. defines Canada as a post-national state, without a common culture.

We have therefore gone, in a relatively short time, from Quebec culture as one of the founding cultures of Canada to one culture among others, to no culture at all. Isn’t that the very definition of erasure?

Linguistic erasure

Since the Conquest, the percentage of French speakers in Canada has only declined. Quebec is the only province which, at a certain time, saw the situation of French improve… but the task is difficult: each of its linguistic laws has been systematically contested by the federal state. In Canada outside Quebec, there are now more people whose predominant language at home is Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese). In a few short years, Punjabi and Tagalog, two rapidly growing languages, should also overtake French. Our language is only 17^e language spoken in Toronto^⁠2.

The daily motto The right, a newspaper founded by Franco-Ontarians, is this: “The future belongs to those who struggle”. In this Canada historically hostile to French, if Quebecers or French-speakers outside Quebec do not fight, they fade away. The leader of the PQ only reminded us of this.

Political erasure

René Lévesque liked to repeat that Quebec’s political space has been diluted throughout Canadian history. At the time of Lévesque, the absence of Quebec’s signature at the bottom of the Constitution was a serious matter, a form of colonialism. Today, it has absolutely no importance for English Canadians.

Imagine what Lévesque would say if he knew that, these days, a federal party no longer even needs Quebec, either politically or demographically, to be in the majority! That’s political erasure.

Memory erasure

We must look forward, MPs Boulerice, Champagne and Rodriguez tell us. In the trash, the “I remember”. As if it were healthy to forget the past, to forget those who, before us, refused to be erased.

All families whose ancestor was patriotic know his name. I know that a Jobin was killed in Batoche, Saskatchewan, with Louis Riel’s companions. The inhabitants of Saint-Jacques de Montcalm celebrate the courage of their Acadian ancestors every year. Several of us have American cousins, from the million Quebecers forced to go into exile in the United States, to the indifference of English Canada. My father went to bring books to a friend imprisoned during the October crisis. In 1982, millions of Quebecers shared the humiliation and anger of René Lévesque after the night of the long knives. We remember the contempt for our referendum law in 1995. In 2024, we stand in solidarity with the Acadians when we spit in their faces God Save the King in the House of Commons.

What is violent is asking us to forget all that.

Yes, our history is dangerous, it scares our adversaries, because it can, and they know it well, “(bring) guilty thoughts”: the thought of independence, for example.

1. Read the column “Our suffering makes her vomit”

2. Read the column “The place of French in Canada”

What do you think ? Participate in the dialogue