If there is one thing all politicians need to understand, it is that a margin of one or two per cent in opinion polls is meaningless. A strong breeze can blow that lead away the next day. One minute you are on top and the next, you are running for cover. Experienced politicians only look at polls to see the trends.
But nobody should assume that premier François Legault of Quebec is all that experienced. His Coalition Avenir Québec (Coalition for Quebec’s future) is a right-wing spin-off from the Parti Québécois. He is a conservative. He uses insipient separatism to make demands of the rest of Canada. And he is still feeling his way on just how much he can piss off the rest of the country.
What is interesting is that when Legault told Quebec voters to vote conservative in last year’s federal election, nobody seemed to be listening. That was a strong indication that he has a problem. It has been a long time since Quebec has had a truly conservative government. Pandering to the latent bigotry of Quebec is not the answer either. It is something the province has been trying to outgrow. Bigotry is for the old, living in the past. The young want something better.
What Legault does not seem to understand is that the youth of Quebec are not necessarily Quebec-centred. They know there is a world out there. There is opportunity out there. They think it is cool to preserve and speak French. They think it is cool to also speak English. Bilingualism means opportunities. It means better jobs. It means travel. They know that Canadians are welcome in most countries around the world.
And they are not wasting their time on foolishness such as Bill 21. They are mostly immune to religious symbols. They mean little. They can show allegiance, yes. They can also be nothing more than a fashion statement. And what people might wear in desert countries is not always the appropriate wear in Canada’s climate. Our country needs our newcomers. We have to give them time and even generations to be at home.
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Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
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