The National Assembly reiterates its support for the organizers of the National Day show after pro-secular activists were indignant that the singer Émile Bilodeau was chosen as the host of the evening.
The motion tabled Thursday at the Blue Room by Quebec Solidarity MP Ruba Ghazal does not directly mention the Mouvement laïque québécois (MLQ), according to which Émile Bilodeau is not unifying enough to be the headliner of the June 23 concert on the Plains of Abraham because of its position against Bill 21. But by congratulating “all the artists and all the artists who will perform during the show”, the motion responds in veiled terms to the criticisms of the MLQ.
“This morning, the National Assembly sent a strong and united message to support our artists who will take the stage during the national holiday. The national holiday has always been a unifying and representative celebration of Quebec. The 2023 edition, with all its diversity, is no exception,” said Ruba Ghazal after his motion passed unanimously.
Not unifying enough, according to the MLQ
The president of the MLQ, Daniel Baril, decried this week the decision of the National Movement of Quebecers (MNQ) to bet on Émile Bilodeau to present the traditional spectacle of Saint-Jean in Quebec. Remember that the latter has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the ban on religious symbols for government employees in positions of authority. During the National Day television show in 2020, the singer-songwriter appeared on stage with a button against Law 21.
” [Émile Bilodeau] remains Quebecois and he has the right to express his opinions. But the National Day show is not the place for that. We should have chosen a more unifying host, ”argued Mr. Baril on Wednesday in an interview with the Duty.
For its part, the MNQ had reiterated its confidence in Émile Bilodeau, even if the organization does not share its positions on Law 21. “The organization of the national holiday is done in impartiality, in non-partisanship. That does not mean that we exclude artists who have a partisan spirit. It means that we do not exclude political camps, ”retorted the president of the MNQ, Frédéric Lapointe.
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