Public funds should not be used to finance activities such as the reading of tales by a drag queen in a school or a library, said Thursday Éric Duhaime, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ).
Mr Duhaime was responding to a question on a motion passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday saying that “drag queens should not, under any circumstances, face violent insults, intolerance and hatred for their participation reading children’s stories.
Last Sunday, the town of St. Catherine had to move the location of a storytelling by drag queen Barbada due to a protest against the activity.
After this event, the elected officials also expressed with one voice that “exposing children to difference helps to make Quebec an example [d’égalité] And [d’équité] for gender plurality communities around the world. »
Asked about his position on the motion, the Conservative leader replied that he would have proposed an amendment stipulating that “the state must remain neutral in the face of this debate”.
Duhaime said he really enjoys the drag queen shows he’s seen in gay bars. “That being said, I think it’s the parent who has to decide whether or not they want grandma or a drag queen to read a story to their child. »
Parents in favor of such activity, like those who disagree, must be “respected in their beliefs”, he argued. “We have to stop trying to impose our virtue. »
Parents to decide
Mr. Duhaime made these remarks on the sidelines of a press briefing to express his opposition to the government’s desire to set 14 as the minimum age for work with his bill 19. He pleads in favor of “freedom children” to have a job.
“There is no one in a better position, certainly not a civil servant or a politician, to know what is better for the welfare of the child than the parent,” Duhaime said. From one young person to another, the physical and mental abilities differ, he argued.
The bill, tabled last week by the Quebec Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, also wants to limit to 17 the number of weekly hours of work for young people aged 14 to 16 during the school year. From Monday to Friday, a maximum of 10 hours would be allowed. The entry into force of this limit would take place from 1er next September.
Mr. Boulet wishes to promote school perseverance in a context of labor shortage in Quebec. A child’s place “is on the school benches, then his place is in para-academic activities, it’s sport, it’s cinema, it’s theater”, said the minister.
The latter also underlined the need to better regulate the work of young people, while work accidents affecting Quebecers under the age of 16 jumped by 36% in 2021.
Regarding the safety of children at work, the Conservative leader believes that both employers and parents have a role to play in “preventing abuse”. No need for a bill in this regard, he argued.
Work inculcates “healthy values”
According to Éric Duhaime, “well supervised” work makes children aware of the value of money, in addition to valuing their efforts.
He also believes that allowing the youngest to have a job helps to fight against the scourge of a sedentary lifestyle. “Work allows the child to get out of this isolation and give him a slightly healthier way of life. »
It should be noted that the legislative text provides for exceptions to the prohibition on working before the age of 14, in particular for babysitting, summer camps, newspaper delivery and tutoring. It will also be possible for the child of the owner of a company to work within it if it has fewer than 10 employees.
In the National Assembly, the opposition parties had welcomed the bill when it was tabled.