(Quebec) In a thinly veiled message to the National Movement of Quebecers (MNQ), the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, maintains that the choice of the host of the national holiday must be “unifying”, deploring that ‘Émile Bilodeau “insulted his political adversaries”.
Mathieu Lacombe decided on Wednesday to add his two cents to the controversy surrounding the traditional show on the Plains of Abraham.
Earlier this week, the Parti Québécois decided to refuse the invitation to address the public during the formal ceremony. He protests against the choice of singer Émile Bilodeau as host of the evening, a decision of the MNQ. In particular, he criticizes this supporter of Québec solidaire for having ridiculed him and for having vehemently criticized the State Secularism Act of the Legault government (Bill 21). “The PQ must die [sic] for him to go [sic] a sovereignist opposition”, he has already written.
Mr. Bilodeau replied immediately when he left the PQ, writing: “if you want me cancelI suggest you go and see what the Republicans are doing in the USA”.
According to Mathieu Lacombe, “Émile Bilodeau has chosen to insult his political adversaries and to continue to do so as host of the national holiday”.
PHOTO ERICK LABBÉ, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
Mathieu Laocombe
“I think that we must always have a particular sensitivity in the choice of spokespersons and facilitators because the people who are chosen must be unifying enough precisely for everyone to feel welcome in a ceremony, in a celebration like that of the national holiday. Now, the Mouvement national des Québécois considers that the choice it has made is unifying. It is a choice that belongs to him, ”he added during a scrum on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
He denies wanting to interfere in the affairs of the MNQ. “It is not the government, it is not my wish, which will begin to choose who will or will not be the host of the national holiday,” he said.
Minister Lacombe will not be present at the National Day show because he has “other commitments”. The government will be represented by the minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region, Jonatan Julien.
During the 2020 National Day show, Émile Bilodeau appeared on stage with an “anti-law 21” button, raising another controversy. The following year, Prime Minister François Legault had alluded to this episode by dismissing, with a smirk, the candidacy of this singer to promote French to young people. “Maybe take someone who supports Bill 21 to start,” he joked.