Thus, Carey Price did not know for Polytechnique. This is what France Margaret Bélanger, President Sports and Entertainment of Groupe CH, told Radio-Canada. No, he had never heard of it, never ever. However, we are talking about a guy who has lived in Montreal for several months a year for more than 15 years.
If we needed further proof that some hockey players live disconnected from their host society, this one erases all doubts. The ignorance of this appalling event, which is part of Canadian history and which has forever marked our consciences, unfortunately says a lot about the level of insularity in which certain professional athletes evolve (this is certainly not the case of the vast majority of those I have met in my career).
Should we be surprised? Not really, I imagine. And without wishing to harass Price, who set foot in a trap whose pitfalls he did not suspect by denouncing a gun control bill, I note that he made no effort to learn a minimum of French since his arrival in Montreal. This unfortunately illustrates a lack of curiosity about the environment in which he earns his living.
In this context, should we be surprised that the annual commemoration of December 6, 1989 has always eluded him?
Price should have done a little research before jumping into this case with both feet. He could, at the very least, warn the Canadian of his exit. We can then think that members of the management would have warned him.
Especially since the organization supported by Price, the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, has committed a gesture as violent as it is repugnant by offering a discount linked to the promotional code “Poly” on the purchase of certain products.
Doing so uplifts the heart.
“It’s odious,” Polytechnique survivor Nathalie Provost told my colleague Mélanie Marquis. “There’s something a little bit sacred about it, so you can’t trivialize what they do. »
If the bosses of the Canadian have a little guts, they will translate my colleague’s article and Nathalie Provost’s remarks so that Price can read them.
He was not aware of the events of December 6th? He was unaware of the deep meaning of the promotional code or even of the marketing initiatives of the group he supports? OK, it’s sad, but that’s the way it is. But it’s not too late to learn. It’s not too late to read, to get information, to talk to people who have suffered from it. Find out, Carey, find out.
Maybe he has already started. Early Monday evening, in a short post on Twitter, he wrote that he disagreed with the “promo code”. And that if he believed in defending the rights of hunters, he did not want to disrespect anyone by taking a stand on this issue.
I have always appreciated athletes who speak out on social issues. They need a lot of courage since they risk displeasing a good part of their fans. This is not a recent phenomenon, linked to the intense split in public debate. It has always been true.
An example: during the 1952 election campaign in Quebec, Maurice Richard took part in a rally with Maurice Duplessis, who was re-elected shortly afterwards.
This decision was criticized by a journalist. He retorted in his column in the weekly Saturday Sunday : “Once the hockey season is over, I become a citizen of Quebec like anyone else and I believe I have the right to my personal opinions in politics as elsewhere without making me underestimate. »
Despite this combative declaration, the Rocket then kept his opinion to himself. Forty years later, Guy Lafleur also found himself embroiled in controversy by interfering in the Charlottetown referendum debate. Shaken, he then “retired” from politics, declaring: “It plays a lot harder in there than in hockey. Daggers fly low. »
Price in turn discovers the risks for an athlete to defend a file far from unanimous. I fully recognize his right to support a cause in which he believes – in this case, the use of his “hunting tools”, that is to say firearms -, but still it is necessary that he does so in an informed manner.
After all, it would never have occurred to Price to play a game without properly preparing first. The same reasoning applies to public speaking.
However, according to a spokeswoman for federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, the weapon Price is holding in the photo on his Instagram account would not be prohibited by Bill C-21. “Our legislation does not target firearms commonly used for hunting, and we fully respect the traditions of hunters and Indigenous peoples,” she explained.
The Canadian finds himself in spite of himself in the embarrassment following the exit of Price. Today is December 6 and the day will once again be painful in memories.
We must remember with insistence what happened that day.
It should be remembered that 14 young women were murdered because they were women.
We have to remember that year after year.
It must be remembered to ensure that no one, even the athletes trapped in their bubble, is unaware of all the horror.