(Quebec) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “endorses contempt for Quebecers” by declaring that he “supports 100% Amira Elghawaby”, the new federal representative for the fight against Islamophobia, supports François Legault.
His government demanded the resignation of Mr.me Elghawaby on Monday because she “only tried to justify his hateful comments” instead of retracting them and apologizing. She once wrote that the “majority of Quebecers” seemed “influenced by anti-Muslim sentiment.”
However, Justin Trudeau defended his appointment on Tuesday, saying that Mme Elghawaby is the right person to lead the fight against Islamophobia in the country. “I support Amira Elghawaby 100%,” Trudeau said as he entered the weekly cabinet meeting.
“Mr. Trudeau by keeping her in office, he comes to endorse contempt for Quebecers,” reacted François Legault, deploring that Mme Elghawaby “didn’t apologize.” “And I can’t believe Mr. Trudeau telling us that he supports her 100% after everything she said, all the contempt she showed for Quebecers,” added the Prime Minister. before going to the Blue Room for the first question period of the parliamentary session.
When asked what balance of power he had now that Mr. Trudeau refuses to reconsider his choice, he replied that a motion will be debated in the National Assembly on this matter.
“We won’t win them all,” said Roberge
The Minister responsible for Secularism, Jean-François Roberge, affirms for his part that the Quebec government will not win all its battles against Ottawa, the last concerning the controversial appointment of Amira Elghawaby as federal representative for the fight against Islamophobia.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS
The Minister responsible for Secularism, Jean-François Roberge
“We won’t win them all, as they say,” said the minister, now that Justin Trudeau has said he supports “100%” Mme Elghawaby. Mr. Roberge demanded his resignation. ” We go dealr with, “added the Minister responsible for the Fight against Racism, Christopher Skeete.
In a scrum on this first day of parliamentary return to Quebec, Mr. Roberge accused Ottawa of having missed “a great opportunity to build bridges” and of having rather “digged ditches. »
“I was hoping that the federal Liberal government would take note of Quebec’s position. Unfortunately, Mr. Trudeau persists and signs. We are capable of fighting racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination in Quebec without the help of the federal government,” said Mr. Roberge.
The Minister of Secularism also criticized Quebec solidaire (QS) on Monday, while the new deputy for the Maurice-Richard riding in Montreal, Haroun Bouazzi, claimed on Twitter that the government wanted to create a diversion, with the controversy over Mme Elghawaby, to cover up its failings in health, education and the environment.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS
Haroun Bouazzi
“It’s back to school[Assemblée nationale] and the CAQ government does not have a clear plan for the just energy transition, for public schools, for the crisis in our hospitals? Legaut’s strategists: “Look! The ! A woman who wears a veil!” #diversion #voilerlincompetance (sic),” Mr. Bouazzi wrote on Twitter.
Jean-François Roberge replied: “When Quebecers are insulted by the federal government, all members of the Quebec state must stand up. This is not a diversion, it is a matter of national pride”.
Meetings with M.me Elghawaby
Earlier Tuesday in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once again defended the nomination of Amira Elghawaby, who has been controversial for several days because of her past positions in which she claimed that the “majority of Quebecers seemed “influenced by anti-Muslim sentiment.” The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, will meet with the federal representative in the fight against Islamophobia so that she can clarify her thoughts.
In an interview with The Presslast week, Mr.me Elghawaby had claimed that his column had been misunderstood. “I want to be very clear. I do not believe that the vast majority of Quebecers are Islamophobic,” she said. The federal representative against Islamophobia then explained that she had relied in her column on a Léger poll which stated that 88% of Quebeckers who supported Bill 21 had a negative perception of Islam.
In Quebec, the opposition unanimously denounced on Tuesday the comments made by Amira Elghawaby in the past. “The remarks made by Mr.me Elghawaby shocked us, are unacceptable. It is necessary, it is a sine qua non, that she apologizes. She needs to apologize. She must make amends in a clear way […]. If she doesn’t, she can’t stay in office, very clearly,” said Quebec Liberal Party interim leader Marc Tanguay.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS
Pascal Berube
“Don’t ask Madame to leave. Let us leave this country. It is an additional demonstration that this country is not ours,” declared Pascal Bérubé. The Parti Québécois is also calling for the resignation of Mr.me Elghawaby.
On the side of Quebec solidaire, parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said that his party will request a meeting with the federal representative. “Quebecers, in general, cannot be given a label. The Quebec people, the Quebec nation, is not monolithic. And this is what transpires from the words of M.me Elghawaby. And that’s why we disagree, and not just disagree. It is sure that these are words that are hurtful because it puts everyone in the same basket, ”he said.
With Mylène Crête, The Pressin Ottawa