In Through the mouth of my pencilshis first collection of chronicles, Jean-François Lisée did not hesitate to comment and feed the hottest issues. Here we go again with Again. Through the mouth of my pencilshis new proposal, which follows the same principle as the previous one. It brings together more than fifty texts written over the last three years, several of which have not gone unnoticed, and have sometimes provoked intense reactions.
“I persist and sign,” says Jean-François Lisée with a smile. The book includes the texts that the author considers to be his best, but he often offers longer versions here. In interviews, the columnist does not hesitate to hammer home the topics that have marked his recent reflections. “I chose the texts that stand the test of time the best. There are improved columns, others updated. The book also includes the scraps that were cut for publication in the newspaper.”
Since leaving active politics, the man has commented on current events in the pages of Duty twice a week. According to him, the column is only useful if it informs the reader. He has nothing against “opinion makers”, but what satisfies him is a well-reasoned, well-sourced article. “Teaching those who read me three or four things that they may have missed or that they had not seen in this way is part of my signature, that of informing while sharing my point of view.”
He cites his famous column as an example The sex of our angels on the teaching of gender theory in schools, including daycare centers. This text, which caused a stir when it was published in June 2023, is printed in its entirety in the pages of the collection. “This column is the result of extensive research. I have delivered a real detailed analysis on this issue,” emphasizes the former politician, who also had a career as a journalist.
Same principle with his paper on the anti-Quebec identity highlighted by demonstrations of contempt for the “Kebs” in schools. “I corroborated and verified the facts through interviews with Rafaël Provost, specialist and director of the organization Ensemble pour le respect de la diversité, who confirmed the situation in a huge number of Quebec schools.”
Mr. Lisée says he received an influx of emails from readers who were stunned by the content of the column. Some even cried while reading it because it represented a kind of defeat of Quebec culture within our own institutions, says the columnist, happy to have been able to reveal this phenomenon in the public space.
“I know there are also people who don’t want to believe it, even though I have compiled dozens of additional testimonies from other schools. It took me three weeks of work, while a simple column takes me on average an afternoon of my day.”
Wokeism, a scourge for Lisée
Lisée’s texts are grouped by theme that he particularly likes. The column on the teaching of gender theory in schools is part of a general chapter entitled “The future of man is a woman”. The one on anti-Quebec racism is grouped with certain texts on identity and immigration, subjects popular today with radical or far-right figures.
“I remain a social democrat, but it is important to know that the left has resigned in the face of these issues. I think it is important to address these issues “not by creating hatred, but by promoting living together, and that’s what I do,” he defends himself.
The columnist sees himself more as a scout who does not hesitate to dip his pen into subjects that upset, even if it means denouncing social policies that he considers abusive. He also defines himself as a “non-woke progressive”, saying he is tired of the intransigence of all or nothing. “I am a former Maoist. I have already given in to all or nothing. I have developed antibodies. I see how this plague that is wokeness has made rise populism.
A new feature compared to the previous collection, the chapter “In the Hot Weather of Tyrants” is entirely devoted to international issues. It addresses in turn the American elections under Trump, the rise of China and the rise to power of the Russian dictator Putin. We forget it, but Lisée was a lawyer, foreign correspondent and co-founder of a center for international studies.
“I have always loved learning and thinking about what is happening on the planet. I also talk about global warming and the criminal responsibility of leaders and despots in this matter,” concludes the columnist.