Legault appeals for calm following demonstrations and counter-protests on gender identity in Montreal

In response to Wednesday’s protests and counter-demonstrations on gender identity, Premier François Legault says he is concerned about polarization and appeals for calm on both sides.

“I feel a responsibility as premier to be a fighter against extremes,” Legault said in a press scrum at the National Assembly on Thursday.

Legault deplored the fact that the demonstrations in Montreal had gotten out of hand, and asked Quebecers to be respectful. “It’s a debate we must have in peace,” he said.

The Prime Minister said he understood the concerns of both sides. “On the one hand, we have a duty as a society to protect people who are minorities, and on the other, I can understand parents and citizens who are worried,” he added.

In his opinion, Quebec is less polarized than other parts of the world.

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The minister responsible for the fight against homophobia and transphobia, Martine Biron, also appealed for calm: “I didn’t like what I saw. There was violence, there was hatred, there was disrespect,” she said.

She said she believes that Quebecers are capable of dialogue on this sensitive subject.

Thursday morning at the National Assembly, the Minister also made a point of clarifying gender dysphoria, explaining that it was not contagious and was very rare. “It’s a condition and people who question their gender, they suffer enormously, especially children. They need help. The more we polarize, the more we make people who are questioning suffer,” she maintained.

The government intends to set up a committee of experts to examine the issues surrounding gender identity. The committee should be created before Christmas. Minister Biron admitted that this was no simple matter. “We want a committee that is credible with the public and we want a mandate that is clear,” she explained.

On Thursday, Québec solidaire unanimously passed a motion in the National Assembly that “condemns the hateful and discriminatory comments made towards people from the LGBTQI2S+ community in the public sphere, particularly during recent demonstrations in Montreal”.

At a press briefing, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, parliamentary leader for Solidarity, responded to the rhetoric claiming that gender identity is an ideology imported from the United States by the left and which has allegedly infiltrated Quebec schools.

“Trans children, non-binary children in Quebec, they exist. They didn’t arrive from the United States. They’re little Quebecers and they want to grow up in a Quebec that respects them, and I hope that when we debate this, we think of these children. I invite all politicians to think of these children when we speak,” he said.

“We condemn all manifestations of violence, intolerance, oppression and discrimination. None of that has any place in a civilized society like ours, on either side. We have to be able to hear everyone on both sides, but calmly,” said PQ member Pascal Bérubé.

Liberal MP André Albert Morin would not get too far ahead of himself on the subject. “People have the right to express their opinion, but it must be done peacefully and with respect for others,” he said simply.
– This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 21, 2023.