PQ plans for its ‘other’ Canada 150 celebration
Saying that Canadians have every right to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation but adding that the Parti Québécois also has a right to skewer any “propaganda” that accompanies it, PQ leader Jean-François Lisée unveiled on Friday the party’s plan to detail the “other” 150 years of relations between Quebec and Canada.
“The government of Canada ... has decided to mark its 150 years over the course of this year with various celebrations,” Lisée told reporters during a press conference at PQ headquarters, “We don’t challenge the right of a country to promote its history. However ... we don’t want the version given to us to be a bit biased.
“Differences with Quebec have existed for more than 150 years. Quebec existed before Canada, during Canada and, we hope, it will exist after Canada . ... What we’re saying is we’ll participate in that debate and underline events that, perhaps, (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau might forget.
“The history of Canada is interesting when we have more than one version, when we debate it, when we poke holes through the propaganda.”
Lisée didn’t provide details of how the campaign, dubbed “L’Autre 150ième” would unfold, other than to say that 150 events had been planned, social media would play a role and the PQ was paying for the activity with party funds.
However Gilles Laporte, one of half a dozen historians who will provide the PQ campaign with historical backstories for challenges to the federal government’s narrative of Canada, said the program’s events were divided into eight themes, including “The Confederation of 1867 ... the worm in the apple,” “A federal regime that doesn’t keep its promises,” “Canada, a handicap to Quebec’s prosperity” and “150 Years of Quebec Bashing.”
Asked whether the PQ campaign would simply be perceived as an attempt to rain on Ottawa’s parade, Lisée contended that the opposite was true and that there was “no question” of the PQ’s trying to disrupt any celebration.
Asked about a Globe and Mail report that suggests Ottawa has committed $500 million to this year’s anniversary celebrations, Lisée said the sum represented an example of Quebec’s relationship with Canada.
“The challenge for us is to be as much talked about with our nonexistent budget, as Canada with its $500 million budget — $100 million of which will be paid for by Quebecers,” he said.
But Lisée also noted that despite the apparent difference financing, the PQ program would probably succeed in livening up Ottawa’s party plans.
“We weren’t formally invited (to the party),” he said. “But we’re Canadian citizens ... I think we’ll
attract a lot of attention to an anniversary which, without us, would be bland. We’ll be putting a Québécois grain of salt into this Canadian salad ... We’ll put some colour, some Québécois spice into it and make much more tasty.”