At the beginning of the XXe century, the École des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) was created in Montreal with the explicit aim of lifting “French Canadians” out of the economic inferiority in which they were then held. Business was not the preserve of Anglophones: we too were capable. From this school emerged a generation of men and women who built modern Quebec. And among these, no one did as much as Jacques Parizeau to bring Quebec into economic modernity, to lead us on the road to prosperity of which we are so proud.
We are once again celebrating the life of this illustrious man by unveiling his bust in front of our National Assembly. It must be said that it was time. But let’s understand that celebrating Parizeau is not just celebrating a great man; it is to celebrate a Quebec whose most noble ambitions he embodied. Because in addition to having given everything to achieve the natural destiny of his people, Parizeau was a man of the world, twice graduated from Paris, the first Quebecer to have obtained a doctorate at the prestigious London School of Economics. At that time, it was not nothing. Not just one of ours stands out in the world’s knowledge center. In this, as in so many other things, Parizeau was a precursor; he showed us a way, international and open, that Quebecers could take if only they were sure enough of themselves.
Precisely, the nationalism of a Jacques Parizeau has never been a small nationalism of a small nation. It was the nationalism of a young and fiery people who asked only one thing: to integrate the world on its own terms. Our development, the one for which he did so much at the Caisse de dépôt, was not a development solely for the purpose of growth. It was a development aimed at equipping us for the challenges of the future, for Quebec to reach its full potential.
Do not be afraid
In other words, celebrating Jacques Parizeau also means taking a break and honestly asking ourselves how we can bring his patriotic posture to life and apply it to today’s Quebec. Are we served, as a people, by the defensive and defeatist nationalism that is presented to us today? Would Jacques Parizeau have accepted the resignation of Quebec’s quest for freedom, normality and linguistic sustainability? Or should we not be inspired by those words engraved forever on his tombstone, “Do not be afraid”?
Monsieur, as he was called with all due respect, never contented himself with asking for more powers from Ottawa, because he knew that was a futile waste of time; he led us into the only battle where Quebec would really have a balance of power, that of independence.
Fortunately, the nationalism of Jacques Parizeau, that is to say the independence open and confident in the future that he never ceased to defend, still exists today. His dream, that of the freedom of his people — not to cut himself off from others, but to open up with confidence and firmness to the world — is not dead. Independence remains very much alive, Jacques Parizeau remains very much alive.
Him, he didn’t tell us “See you next time”, but it’s just like. He challenged us, and his bust now placed before the Assembly of our people should remind all those who represent us that this challenge is still to be met, that the real destiny of our people is not yet accomplished. Above all, the bust of this man of the world who deeply loved Quebec should remind us that we do not have to resign ourselves to anything.
It is customary these days to seek to recover the rich heritage of the Parti Québécois and its role in our collective emancipation. When some lend themselves to this exercise, you have to ask them their real motivations.
True Quebec nationalism will never be anything but independentist, as Parizeau was. The Coalition avenir Québec’s chimera of provincial nationalism certainly does not correspond to the grandeur of the dream and ambitions that Jacques Parizeau had for his people. We can only wish that at least its leaders realize this.