Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe will fly to Paris on Monday, where he will deliver a speech at UNESCO headquarters in the hope of finding allies in his fight against “American cultural imperialism”. If he can already count on the presence of a Quebec delegate within the organization, Mathieu Lacombe does not hide it: he would like Quebec to become a full member one day.
In 2006, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government granted Quebec the right to appoint its own representative to the Canadian delegation to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). The fact remains that within this institution, Quebec does not have a seat, strictly speaking, like the one granted to it at the International Organization of La Francophonie in 1985. This privilege within UNESCO is reserved for independent states, as well as Palestine.
“I think it’s important that we can have our voice when it comes to our culture. At the moment, we are doing it within the Canadian delegation. It was granted because of our cultural distinction. Now, will we ever be able to do it in our own name? I can’t help wishing for it,” said Mathieu Lacombe with a smirk.
The minister then clarified that he did not intend to fight this battle during his mandate. He assures that he is accommodating to the place that Canada leaves to Quebec within his delegation. “Quebec has won the right [en 2006] to have a forum at UNESCO. By remaining within the Canadian delegation, I agree, but I feel that Ottawa respects our autonomy, even if we don’t always agree. I don’t feel that Ottawa is over our shoulder to monitor what we do,” said the Minister of Culture in an interview with the Duty a few days before his departure for Paris.
Leadership in the world
Mathieu Lacombe will notably meet his French counterpart, Rima Abdul-Malak, whom he sees as a potential ally in his fight against the hegemony of the American web giants. “France’s motivations to act are not the same as ours,” he acknowledged. “In their case, it’s really to find ways for their cultural products to continue to be exported. For Quebec, it is above all a question of the survival of our language. The French do not feel the same urgency. But I still feel that France can not only be a friend, but also an ally in this fight that I am leading. »
The highlight of this short visit to France, the first for a Quebec Minister of Culture in six years, will certainly be his speech at UNESCO headquarters. Minister Lacombe will speak on Tuesday to representatives of countries that have signed the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Ratified since 2005 by a hundred countries and governments around the world, including that of Quebec, the latter recognizes that globalization involves a risk of homogenization of cultures.
Quebec now believes that the Convention must be reopened to go further and take into account the new threat posed by the Netflix and Disney+ of this world on national cultures. The Minister will share this during his speech at UNESCO headquarters, and he is convinced that his plea will resonate with the audience.
“Cultural specificity is not a strictly Quebec issue. There are other nations that refuse to be diluted in American culture. But Quebec is well placed to assume leadership on the international scene on these issues. We are very well perceived by other countries. We are a young nation, which does not have a colonial past, unlike others,” pointed out Mathieu Lacombe, who says that he is in line with the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine.
Ready to disrupt Ottawa?
Adopted in the 1960s, the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine grants the government of Quebec the legitimacy to act on the international scene in areas that fall within its jurisdiction, such as health, education and culture. But, historically, Ottawa has sometimes been irritated by the ambitions of Quebec diplomacy.
If Mathieu Lacombe insists that he does not seek confrontation with the federal government, he wishes to reiterate that the provincial government is best able to defend Quebec’s cultural interests in the world.
“The future of Quebec culture is not decided in Ottawa, it is decided in Quebec. And we are ready to use all the means at our disposal to defend it, and our platform at UNESCO is part of it, ”concludes the one who will be in France until Thursday.