It is generally admitted that there are two Quebecs: that of Montreal, the spectacular, the noisy, and then the other, the one that extends modestly around the island.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
In 2018, the results of the Quebec general elections confirmed that Montreal was now a world apart. While the province chose blue, the metropolis opted once again for red while letting itself be tempted by a few orange accents.
In the weeks that followed, a CROP poll had determined that the inhabitants of Montreal and those of the rest of Quebec literally belonged to two communities of minds, which stubbornly refused to agree on issues of identity. Montrealers thus cast a more progressive view of the world—in the sense of progressive ideology—while Quebecers, for their part, expressed a clear desire for rootedness and conservation.
Then the first mandate of François Legault came to give tone to this idea of “two Quebecs”.
Another poll, this one published last January, determined that close to 60% of the province’s Francophones supported the secularism law‘State. As for Anglophones – settled in an overwhelming majority in Montreal – 74% of them were opposed to this vision of secularism.
A few weeks before the day of the vote, let’s be honest: it is only the fate of geography that unites Montreal and the rest of Quebec.
To tell the truth, the passion has long since left the nest.
Partitionist movement
In recent years, a partitionist movement, very marginal for the moment, has even emerged. Balarama Holness, defeated candidate for mayor of Montreal in 2021, still dreams of a city-state status for the metropolis as well as a very unique leeway for the city so that it can give up the aspirations Quebecers in terms of language and identity policies.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Balarama Holness, defeated candidate for mayor of Montreal in 2021 and leader of Bloc Montreal
Holness, who obtained more than 30,000 votes in the last municipal elections and who now wishes to become premier of Quebec, specified last week that if he is embarking on this adventure, it is because he believes that the Parti Quebec Liberal no longer works for Montrealers. Openly obsessed with the higher interests of the metropolis, he took the opportunity to announce that he would introduce a toll at the entrance to Montreal, thus prohibiting free access to non-residents of the city, if he is elected. .
Obviously, Bloc Montreal—Balamara Holness’ party—as well as the Parti canadien du Québec—Colin Standish’s party, which wants to abolish Bill 101—have very little chance of electing even a single MP on the 3 next October.
But is that a reason not to take this movement seriously? After all, is its influence destined to diminish or increase?
The data from the last census may give us reason to believe that the Montreal partitionist movement is destined for a bright future. Montreal is becoming anglicized faster than the rest of Quebec and may never again represent a French-speaking city. In fact, the metropolis is home to only 44% of Montrealers whose mother tongue is French. The proportion of people speaking French most often at home has now dropped to 48.3%.
But it is not only the hegemony of English that could distance Montreal from Quebec’s destiny.
The more the years pass, the more Montreal renounces a certain art of living in Quebec. Montreal seems to be renouncing calm, gentleness and being determined to run wild by generalizing sound, economic and also armed violence. Bullets are now flying at dinnertime, in almost all parts of the city.
Montreal is therefore choosing another trajectory today, that of the large multicultural metropolises that trample on French civility and courtesy. What he wants above all is to become the next Toronto, so much so that he no longer worries about agreeing with Quebec aspirations.
A new class of politicians has not only grasped this dynamic, they are increasingly determined to translate it politically.