A little over two weeks after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal (SSJB) launched a petition on Saturday calling for “the abolition of the monarchy” in Quebec. The organization affirms that Quebecers are “overwhelmingly against the monarchical system”.
Posted at 11:15 a.m.
“All the results of studies on the question point in this direction: the monarchy is a system that is imposed on us, despite ourselves. However, it is presented to us on all the platforms as something positive, like a vast personality contest that we should all appreciate, “insists the president of the general of the SSJB, Marie-Anne Alepin, qualifying the monarchy “undemocratic and archaic”.
His group wants to make “the ultimate demonstration of the opposition of Quebecers” by launching a petition, published Saturday morning on the site nonalamonarchie.quebec. “We want to live in a modern, democratic society where all humans have equal rights,” reads the text of the petition.
“By entrusting the office of head of state and of the armed forces of Canada to a foreign king endowed with ‘divine’ rights, the monarchy requires the people of Quebec to break with their desire to constitute a secular state and to derogate from the principle of equality of all before the law. Consequently, this consecrates an unsustainable intrusion of religion in the affairs of the State”, also insist the authors.
“A reality show, a saga”
For meme Alepin, the reality of the monarchy is that it “is nothing better than a reality show, a saga which costs us immensely dearly, and this, on several levels, whether democratic, symbolic or financial”. “Major political change all starts with a show of force of popular rallying. This petition is an opportunity for Quebecers to mobilize and to affirm loud and clear our desire for change, ”she insisted on Saturday.
“We, Quebecers, refuse to be ‘subjects’ of ‘Her Majesty’ and to live in a regime where citizens are subject to a monarch by divine right,” the petition concludes.
This is also co-signed by the president of the Quebec Movement, Maxime Laporte, the president of the National Movement of Quebecers (MNQ), Thérèse David, the professor and president of the Institute for Research on Self-determination of Peoples and National Independence (IRAI), Daniel Turp, and the president of Rights Collectives Quebec, Étienne-Alexis Boucher.
On the political scene, the death of the queen had also caused its share of debates, in the midst of the Quebec election campaign. “Although I also offer my condolences to the family, I am opposed to the Quebec nation lowering its flag at half mast. François Legault should not treat the Queen of England as head of the Quebec state or give credibility to an illegitimate British colonial regime in Quebec, “notably hammered the PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“A minimal knowledge of our history and a basic respect for our motto I remember should lead us to refrain from lowering our Quebec flag, while being very respectful for the family and the English people who are grieving,” continued Mr. Plamondon.
“I think that in Quebec, we should have, as soon as possible, a different, more democratic political system, where there is no monarchy”, had also mentioned the parliamentary leader of Quebec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. .