(Quebec) Remarks made by the Prime Minister of Quebec and by historian Éric Bédard during the announcement of the future National Museum of the History of Quebec upset several First Nations groups. Ghislain Picard denounces “narrow nationalism” and wonders what place the First Nations will occupy in this project erected on the ashes of the defunct Blue Spaces.
“I think it is important to start with Champlain, at the very beginning,” François Legault said on April 25, during the press conference to launch this Museum which is due to open in 2026 in Quebec.
“It is said that history begins with writing, and before history, there is prehistory. Perhaps the natives are a bit of the prehistory of Quebec,” declared historian Éric Bédard, appointed by Quebec to the scientific committee responsible for establishing the content of the future museum.
The grand chief of the Huron-Wendat nation, who is often present at political events in Quebec, was not invited to this announcement, nor was the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (APNQL).
Even though Mr. Legault assured that the new museum would highlight “the presence of the indigenous nations who were there before us and who helped us over the years,” several First Nations groups had difficulty digesting these outings.
“The comments made are unacceptable. We are inseparable from the history of this land, and the arrival of Champlain does not define Quebec. The First Nations have been present here for millennia and are deeply attached to this territory that they occupy,” reacted Tuesday the chief of the AFNQL, Ghislain Picard.
“To suggest that we are prehistory amounts to relegating us to a secondary role, when our contribution to the formation of modern Quebec is fundamental. This narrow nationalism does not represent the history of Quebec; he omits entire sections for political reasons,” continues Mr. Picard in the same breath.
The AFNQL goes further. According to her, the comments made during the announcement of the future National Museum of History of Quebec “painfully revive memories of Terra nullius, the doctrine of discovery”. This papal doctrine helped justify the conquest of several territories that had not previously been discovered by a Christian nation.
The head of the AFNQL asks those responsible for the project, which falls under the Musée de la civilization, to “actively involve recognized indigenous historians.”
The First Nations Education Council (CEPN) also reacted in a press release to the announcement of the future museum.
“We have been here a long time and we are proud of it. We are part of the past, certainly, but to believe that the history of the Quebec territory only begins with the arrival of Samuel de Champlain is inaccurate. I extend my hand to Premier Legault and the team of the new National Museum of the History of Quebec so that the population can understand the importance that we have and continue to have in the development of Quebec and the First Nations,” points out Denis Gros-Louis, Director General of the CEPN.
Historian Éric Bédard, interviewed by The Press during the launch, indicated that the question of the place of First Nations in this future museum was “very important”.
“When does the history of Quebec begin? It’s a real subject. With the scientific committee, we will think about it, he said. But it is certain that the Quebec people share the territory with nations and we will have to tell their story and talk about this contact, it is very important. »