This text is part of the special notebook The State of Quebec 2024
The 2024 edition of The state of Quebec takes the pulse of our democracy. Over the course of around twenty thoughtful texts, she dissects the social, economic, political and scientific issues that undermine us and explores avenues to breathe new life into our democracy.
Bad times for democracies. Confidence in institutions is decreasing, the media are struggling, the division of opinions pits us against each other, the harassment of elected officials is reaching new heights… “Several signals tell us that democracies are doing less well and we hope, with The state of Quebec 2024contribute to bringing ours to life,” underlines Josselyn Guillarmou, co-director of the work.
There we find, among many others, collaborations from the first indigenous MP of Quebec, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, the chief scientist of Quebec, Rémi Quirion, the philosopher Daniel Weinstock and even the commissioner for the fight against racism at Montreal, Bochra Manaï.
Climate helplessness
Young people’s support for democracy is suffering from the apparent inability of elected governments to fight decisively against climate change. Some activists therefore move from ecoanxiety to civil disobedience.
In the summer of 2023, as part of the Youth Initiative on carbon neutrality, several young people discussed with the Antigone Collective, an environmental group which focuses on direct action, and Stéphanie Belliard-Hogue, founder of PercoLumen, which favors environmental mediation. “We wanted to let them ask questions about these two modes of action and form their own ideas,” explains Josselyn Guillarmou, who produced a text from it.
On the one hand, therefore, are activists who believe that civil disobedience “is democracy that breathes” and that their actions can lead to the renegotiation of our social contract. On the other, a mediator who tries to establish a dialogue between institutions, interest groups or individuals concerned by environmental problems, in order to find solutions. And a common observation: we must act quickly and effectively on the environmental level and include citizens more in decision-making.
The place of indigenous women
Inclusion also appears implicitly in several texts of the work, notably in that of Marjolaine Étienne, president of the Native Women of Quebec organization. She tells us about the place of women in the governance of indigenous communities and the institutions of the Canadian and Quebec nations.
“Colonization, the Indian Act and residential schools relegated Indigenous women to the background, whereas before that they played an important role in transmitting Indigenous knowledge, cultures and languages and participating in decision-making” , she recalls.
In 1876, the Indian Act had in fact completely excluded women from band councils. Nearly a hundred years later, they began to mobilize to return to spaces of power and governance. Currently, 114 indigenous women occupy such positions in their community, out of a total of 254 positions. The appointment of Mary Simon to the post of Governor General of Canada, that of Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada and the election of Kateri Champagne Jourdain to the National Assembly demonstrate the progress made.
“Education will be the key to helping Indigenous women continue their journey towards autonomy,” believes Marjolaine Étienne. She cites as an example the Women and Leadership program at HEC Montréal, which helps give them the tools to occupy executive positions.
Focus on transparency
Trust in institutions is often eroded by the impression that certain groups have easier access to decision-making spheres than others. Stéphanie Yates, professor in the Department of Social and Public Communication at the University of Quebec in Montreal, was specifically interested in the distrust towards lobbyists.
Quebec has had the Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Act since 2002, which requires lobbyists to register in a public register. A lobbying commissioner is responsible for enforcing the law and the code of ethics for lobbyists. However, distrust remains.
“This is explained by three main categories of issues: the disproportionate means of certain groups to finance their lobbying, the impression that certain groups have privileged access to circles of power and the idea which associates lobbying with a form of corruption,” emphasizes Stéphanie Yates.
We must therefore become even more transparent, according to her. For example, the federal lobbying register requires the disclosure of specific details, such as the number of meetings held with decision-makers and the names of those who were present, which is not the case with the Quebec register. The lobbying commissioner would lack the means to carry out effective monitoring on the ground.
“Citizens, social groups and the media also have a duty to remain vigilant and denounce the bad actions of certain lobbyists,” believes Stéphanie Yates.
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