François Legault didn’t like the debate that erupted on Wednesday when two camps clashed over gender identity in the streets of Montreal. As a “bulwark against extremes,” he calls for calm “on both sides.”
“It does not represent Quebec,” the prime minister said the day after the turbulent exchange between opponents of gender identity teaching and defenders of LGBTQ+ rights that took place in the metropolis. “Quebecers are moderates and we are not used to seeing this polarization on one side or the other. »
“As prime minister, I am committed to being a bulwark against the extremes,” he added. “The positions are anchored. I hope these are exceptions. »
Returning to Quebec after a trip to New York for the Climate Ambition Summit, he called for a debate “without offending each other” on the issues of trans and non-binary rights. However, the CAQ elected official has no intention of defending either camp for its actions the day before.
“I appeal to both sides to remain calm. “On the one hand, we as a society have a duty to protect young people who belong to minorities, and on the other hand, I can understand the concerned parents and the concerned citizens,” he said condemning Wednesday’s “gaffes.”
” To hate “
Asked about this a few minutes earlier, the Minister responsible for the status of women, Martine Biron, agreed that she found the disputes “not nice”. “I didn’t like what I saw. There was violence, there was hate,” she said, before clarifying that she “wouldn’t take one side or the other.”
On Wednesday, at the time of the demonstrations, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante had again denounced the “hatred” against the LGBTQ+ communities coming from gender identity anti-education protesters.
According to François Legault, there are still “many problems to be solved” in this area. After banning mixed toilets in schools, his government could go even further. Establishing a “Wise Men’s Group” on gender identity issues will allow the government to position itself.
“This is a relatively new debate,” said the head of government. “It’s worth asking the question: Do we need to review certain rules?” » Reopen the law? “I don’t want to say: ‘That would be a law, that would be a rule, that would be a directive.’ We will leave the committee [se prononcer]. »
Avoid a setback
Liberal MP Marwah Rizqy urged Quebec not to venture there. “We in the Quebec Liberal Party will not accept any setbacks in people’s fundamental rights and freedoms. We will be there to defend them,” she told the parliamentary press.
For its part, Québec Solidaire has submitted a motion to “condemn the hateful and discriminatory expressions against people from the LGBTQI2S+ community in public spaces, particularly during the recent demonstrations.” This was approved unanimously.
“In Quebec we want a society of kindness, a society in which the little men, the little good women in our schools, then the people who ask themselves what they are, and then what they want to be.” [ont] their place,” emphasized Solidarity co-speaker Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
Even as his party calls for a parliamentary commission on teaching gender identity in schools, MP Pascal Bérubé couldn’t appreciate what he saw at demonstrations in Montreal on Wednesday. “What we saw yesterday certainly didn’t paint a good picture of Quebec and made me uncomfortable,” he agreed.
With Alexandre Robillard