Prime Minister François Legault demanded an apology from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Tuesday after a decision blaming Radio-Canada for the on-air mention of the title of the book. white niggers of america by Pierre Vallieres.
Mr. Legault commented briefly on the regulatory authority’s verdict, which has sparked controversy since it was published last week.
“I think it’s the CRTC that should apologize,” declared the Prime Minister during a press conference in Venise-en-Québec, webcast by the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), on the occasion of the announcement of a local candidacy.
The Prime Minister’s Office then clarified why Mr. Legault demanded this apology.
“Because in our opinion, and a large number of journalists and ex-journalists, this decision by the CRTC is a serious attack on freedom of expression, replied press officer Ewan Sauves. Freedom of the press is fundamental in Quebec and it is essential to preserve journalistic independence. »
In a letter obtained by The dutythe Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, on Tuesday asked her federal counterpart Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, to intervene to prevent any interference with journalistic freedom, following this decision of the CRTC .
“It is a door now that opens on a disembodied censorship of any context allowing a better understanding of the past, she wrote. It is therefore our collective responsibility towards present and future generations to allow free circulation to the knowledge and stories that have shaped us, particularly in the context of public affairs programming. »
Monday, Mme Roy had previously expressed his solidarity with the media representatives affected by this decision.
Last week, in its decision, the CRTC asked Radio-Canada to apologize following a complaint referring to the mention on the air, in 2020, of the “n-word” contained in the title of the book of Mr. Vallières. The public broadcaster has not yet reacted, but several of its current and former employees, as well as influential figures in the media world, have denounced this attack on press freedom.
In Quebec, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), Éric Duhaime, estimated on Tuesday that Radio-Canada does not have to apologize.
“It’s reaching completely crazy proportions, it’s [comme le roman d’anticipation] 1984 when you can no longer cite a work, he said. There is no reason to apologize. If someone had to apologize, it was the people who made the decision to ask Radio-Canada to apologize. »
Applications to the CAQ
On Tuesday, Mr. Legault began his day in Repentigny, where he announced that former journalist Pascale Déry will be a candidate for the CAQ, seven years after having unsuccessfully tried to be elected federally under the Conservative banner of Stephen Harper. .
Mr. Legault highlighted the experience of Ms.me Déry at the Montreal Economic Institute (IEDM).
“That’s a little bit center-right or right, center-right federalist,” he said during a press conference that was webcast.
Mr. Legault recalled that the objective of the MEI was to propose solutions to improve the efficiency of government departments, agencies and corporations.
The prime minister blamed the pandemic for his government’s difficulty in achieving the same goal. “Maybe we didn’t put all the time we should have put on it,” he said. I am not mistaken in saying that there is still a lot of work to be done to improve efficiency, to remove bureaucracy. »
During the 2018 election campaign, Mr. Legault pledged to reduce the size of the state by eliminating 5,000 positions in public bodies, a goal that was not achieved.
Mme Déry made a nationalist plea on Tuesday, while emphasizing that his new political party is a coalition of people from diverse backgrounds. She referred to her colleague Bernard Drainville, a former PQ minister, whose membership in the CAQ forced Mr. Legault to repeat that his party’s project is not Quebec sovereignty.
“There are people like Mr. Drainville, like me, like others, and we’re going to share our opinions, that’s the goal, the goal is for us all to work together,” she said. .
In the afternoon, Mr. Legault went to Venise-en-Québec to announce the candidacy of farmer and entrepreneur Audrey Bogemans, who will try to succeed Claire Samson in Iberville. Expelled from the CAQ after a donation to the PCQ, Mme Samson, who will leave politics at the end of his term, then joined Mr. Duhaime’s party, becoming his first elected, in June 2021.
Opportunism
Mr. Duhaime accused Mr.me Déry to show opportunism by choosing the CAQ rather than his political formation.
“I am one of those who think that when we defend our convictions, we change the polls, rather than getting behind parties that are pulling in the polls and […] the population then realizes that it was not necessarily appropriate,” he said.
Mr. Duhaime on Tuesday unveiled his party’s slogan, “Libres chez nous”, defending himself from any ambiguity about his position within Canada.
“We are not a separatist party, we want to stay within Canada, that is very clear to the PCQ. Liberty is not just a constitutional issue, it is also a matter of how the government treats citizens. In Quebec, for two and a half years, the freedom of citizens has been violated like never before. »
Mr. Duhaime explained that his slogan still refers to that of the Quebec Liberal Party, “Maîtres chez-nous”, used during the 1962 election campaign.
“At the time, the idea was for Quebec to be more masters at home within Canada, that was the message of the Liberals who launched the Quiet Revolution. Today our message is that we want Quebecers to be more free at home within Quebec. »