Bad theater | The Press

Thursday at the National Assembly, with a balloon to back it up, Sol Zanetti made a splash that circulated widely.

Balloon?

I prefer Quebecism balloon.

The solidarity MP therefore blew into a blue balloon¹ and let her deflate after saying these words: “There are not many words that can describe the deflation of CAQ nationalism, but perhaps this image could help…”

Sol Zanetti’s lack of decorum was torpedoed suddenly!

Reaction of the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, who invited the MP for Jean-Lesage to enroll in theater: “Here, we are pursuing serious issues, which deserve more than bad theater…”

Reaction from interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay: Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois must apologize on behalf of his political party for this “unacceptable” gesture.

Reaction from the government’s parliamentary leader, Simon Jolin-Barrette, calling for Sol Zanetti to be sanctioned: “We cannot tolerate that deputies in this House disregard our rules and find themselves in a situation of using objects to distort the nature and height of the debates…”

May I have a reaction, Mr. President?

What Sol Zanetti did by inflating this balloon is of course a joke. This is nothing edifying for the parliamentary function.

But…

But it turns out that before his little twist, Mr. Zanetti was asking legitimate questions to the Minister of Culture, Mr. Lacombe.

It’s all recorded in the Journal of debates of the National Assembly². The member for Jean-Lesage stood up to ask questions to the government (that’s his job) on the process of appointing the Quebec regional advisor to the CRTC…

Flat subject, you might say. It is.

But the CRTC is an important institution in this country, which notably regulates television and radio, important vectors of culture. Ottawa appoints said regional advisor for Quebec. The Quebec government is consulted, but it is Ottawa that decides.

However, historically, the CAQ promised to repatriate all federal powers in matters of culture to Quebec.

In 2015, the Coalition Avenir Québec published its “New project for Quebec nationalists” ³. Allow me to quote it: Repatriation of federal budgets in culture.

And as early as 2012, the CAQ advocated increased autonomy⁴ by obtaining transfers of federal powers in areas such as telecommunications, the environment and… culture.

What has happened on this front since the CAQ took power?

It’s a legitimate question.

It is this legitimate question that MP Zanetti asked under the prism of this “Quebec regional advisor” to the CRTC, appointed by Ottawa: “Is the minister ready to seek the power to appoint this person, here, in this Chamber, yes or no? »

The Minister of Culture provided a response…

Which did not answer MP Zanetti’s question at all.

MP Zanetti therefore returned to the charge: “Where is the promise to repatriate powers in culture? Will the CAQ, for once, stand up for Quebec, repatriate the powers for real? »

No matter what we think about the repatriation of federal cultural powers – and budgets – to Quebec, there is this documented fact: the CAQ had promised to repatriate such powers… And it never happened.

Jean-François Roberge, Minister of Canadian Relations, rose to answer Sol Zanetti’s second question.

Mr. Roberge recalled that Québec solidaire had bought advertising on Facebook during the campaign for the Jean-Talon by-election, what a lack of solidarity with the media, yes, “a meta-blunder”, Mr. President, etc., etc.

So many interesting partisan arrows…

But which answered next to the MP’s question on the repatriation of federal powers previously promised by the CAQ.

Do you see me coming, Mr. President?

I am willing that Sol Zanetti committed a charade on Thursday in the House. Yes, it was bad theater. I agree with that. Pfffffff, lol, pffffff…

But can we talk about the bad theater of promising for more than a decade to repatriate powers from Ottawa, when François Legault knows very well that very generally, the federal government says “no” to such requests?

Promising to repatriate federal powers based solely on his natural negotiating skills⁵as Mr. Legault did in 2015, isn’t that bad theater?

To answer the question aside, when you’re in government – ​​a great liberal, PQ and now CAQ classic of parliamentary commedia dell’arte – isn’t that bad theater?

I agree that Sol Zanetti’s balloon is bad theater. But the member for Jean-Lesage had legitimate questions to ask and two government ministers stood up in turn to say lots of words which completely answered his questions…

What are these non-answers offered by ministers of all parties, every day, always?

Good theater?