Part of the cultural community lacks loyalty to Quebec, says PQ leader

Spokespersons for the cultural community lack loyalty to Quebec, according to Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

On Tuesday, representatives from several cultural associations welcomed Marc Miller’s appointment as federal minister of Canadian Identity and Culture in an article published by Radio-Canada.

This stung St-Pierre Plamondon, who declared on social media: “The intellectual vacuity and sycophancy of a substantial part of Quebec’s cultural community are frankly embarrassing. I am ashamed.”

At a news briefing at the National Assembly on Wednesday, the PQ leader defended himself by saying he felt “really hurt by the behaviour of certain people.”

After all, Miller, a former immigration minister in the Trudeau government, is one of the “architects of our linguistic decline,” he said.

“With that track record, can we really say to Marc Miller, ‘We’re so happy to be working with you, what a great minister and all that.’ There are limits to being disloyal to Quebec (…) by ignoring all the damage that has been done,” railed St-Pierre Plamondon.

“At some point, we have the right to expect (…) spokespersons for Quebec’s cultural community to be loyal to Quebec and the French-speaking world.”

Among the groups that welcomed Miller’s appointment were the Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma (SARTEC), the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) and the Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL).

SARTEC’s executive director, Laurent Dubois, said, for example, that he found it ‘reassuring to have someone of this stature to make the voice of artists heard.’

Hélène Messier, President and CEO of the AQPM, said that Miller “will be a great advocate’ and that she has ‘no doubt about his commitment to Quebec culture.”

“Unwarranted”

Plamondon’s attacks are “unwarranted,” his political opponents said Wednesday.

“It is unwarranted of a party leader (…) to say that there is an intellectual void in Quebec’s cultural milieu,” said André Fortin, parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party, at a press briefing.

“It is unacceptable. Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon must apologize. It makes no sense to say that,” agreed Quebec Solidaire co-spokesperson Sol Zanetti.

“This is a future premier expressing his contempt for Quebec’s cultural class, for the people who bring Quebec culture to life (…) in an absolutely condescending manner,” he added.

For their part, Premier François Legault and his Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, refused to criticize St-Pierre Plamondon’s comments.

The day before, Legault lambasted Miller, accusing the new federal minister of talking “nonsense” about French in Quebec.

On Tuesday morning, Miller said he was tired of the debate on the decline of French, which he felt was too politicized.

“As a Quebecer, I’m pretty fed up with this debate, which is generally about identity and is electioneering,” he said.

“From 2022 to 2024, the percentage of Francophones in Montreal fell from 48 to 43 per cent. And now Marc Miller, the new federal Minister of Culture, says he’s tired of the debate on the decline of French. What a shame!” fumed Legault. 

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews