Premier Legault tweet on Catholicism sparks controversy amid secularism debate

François Legault’s Easter break came to an abrupt end Monday morning when a post by the Premier on Twitter sparked a strong reaction.

“Catholicism has also given us a culture of solidarity that distinguishes us on a continental scale,” Legault wrote, sharing a column by Mathieu Bock-Côté published on the website of the Journal de Montréal.

Note that the tweet in question is a quote from the column.

Published just before 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, the message had been seen by more than 238,000 users of the social network five hours later. The message had been shared or reposted nearly 250 times and had received nearly 500 responses, most of them negative.

“We must distinguish between secularism and our heritage,” he then tweeted, defending himself a few minutes before noon.

Le catholicisme a aussi engendré chez nous une culture de la solidarité qui nous distingue à l’échelle continentale.https://t.co/Et3mqiFgyd

— François Legault (@francoislegault) April 10, 2023

“It’s extremely disappointing because we have always complained that the government is not being fair government towards all its citizens,” said community activist Ehab Lotayef. “It favours one religion over the others, that’s exactly what the tweet did today, by acknowledging that yes, I am the Premier of Quebec but I’m going to do exactly what I’m asking the teachers in the schools not to do.”

“It’s really sad situation. And it makes it makes so many people in Quebec feel a second class citizens,” Lotayef continued.

Mohawk journalist and human rights leader Kenneth Deer added to the conversation saying “because we weren’t Christian, [the European colonizers] felt that they could take our land and that that they were superior to us. And this racial superiority, I think, still has reflections today in the attitudes of of of governments towards towards and towards indigenous peoples.”

“He has a weakness towards the Catholic Church. And it shows and I know you have to wonder if this pride and in the Catholic Church helps drive policy, you know, in the background,” said Deer.

Liberal MNA and Official Opposition Education Critic Marwah Rizqy called out the Legault, reminding him of his “duty of reserve and neutrality as premier of all Quebecers in our secular state.”

“Mr. Premier, we all sometimes make a tweet that we regret,” she posted mid-morning.

M. le premier ministre, il nous arrive tous de faire un gazouillis que nous regrettons. Pas grand monde vous tiendra rigueur de retirer celui-ci avant que ça part en vrille. Vous avez un devoir de réserve & de neutralité à titre de PM de tous les Québécois dans notre État laïque. https://t.co/YoDEkdfTP4

— Marwah Rizqy (@marwahrizqy) April 10, 2023

The post was shared by her colleague from Westmount-St. Louis, Jennifer Maccarone, and then by former Liberal minister Christine St. Pierre, who also criticized the permier.

“Ask yourself Mr. Legault about equality [women/men] within Catholicism! It seems to me that there is food for thought,” she wrote.

Gregory Kelley, Liberal MNA for Jacques-Cartier, simply shared the tweet with the words “I’m not Catholic” and a gif from the movie Happy Gilmore in which the main character is told, in English: “better luck next year.”

But, I am not catholic. https://t.co/ZRxidBghmI pic.twitter.com/0vCICIpEva

— Gregory Kelley (@gharperkelley) April 10, 2023

Nelligan Liberal MNA Monsef Derraji called the tweet by Legault, “a premier who supposedly advocates the secularism of the state,” a “lack of judgment.”

Un premier ministre qui supposément prône la laïcité de l’état.

Quel manque de jugement!#AssNat https://t.co/wZDNeLxfkM

— Monsef Derraji (@monsefderraji) April 10, 2023

Former candidate for the Bloc Québécois and Québec solidaire, Shophika Vaithyanathasarma wrote a premier, who “draws this line [between state and religion] only when it’s not Catholic. Secularism when it suits us…”

Many Internet users also reacted negatively to the message, which comes just a few days after the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, called some schools to order by prohibiting them from setting up premises to allow prayer in school. The National Assembly had unanimously adopted a motion on the subject.

Businessman Mitch Garber recalled that “we have lived in a secular society for many years, with freedom of religion. The church, and no other religion, has had any influence on our children, courts or police. Those days are long gone. And it’s not because of Bill 21.”

Nous vivons dans une société laïque depuis de nombreuses années, avec la liberté de religion. L'église, et aucune autre religion , n'a eu d'influence sur nos enfants, tribunaux ou notre police. Cette époque est révolue depuis longtemps. Et ce n'est pas à cause de la loi 21. https://t.co/ZapOftTVXu

— Mitch Garber (@mitchgarber) April 10, 2023

Comedian Sugar Sammy quipped about the controversy, tweeting that “secularism is important, except once on Twitter.”

La laïcité c’est important sauf une fois sur Twitter https://t.co/CH9mfM8aKL

— Sugar Sammy (@sugarsammy) April 10, 2023

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 10, 2023. 

This story was written with the financial support of the Meta Fellowship and The Canadian Press for news.