“The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (APNQL) would like to remind the government of Quebec that the history of Quebec begins well before the arrival of Europeans on the territory,” states a press release published by the AFNQL on Wednesday.
The AFNQL also denounces the comments made on this occasion by historian Éric Bédard, to whom Prime Minister Legault entrusted the creation of the museum’s content. The Museum of Civilization will manage the entire project.
Mr. Bédard affirmed that “history begins with writing, and before history, there is prehistory. Perhaps the natives represent a little of the prehistory of Quebec.
“Narrow nationalism”
Head of APNQL, Ghislain Picard qualifies the remarks of MM. Legault and Bédard of “unacceptable”.
“We are inseparable from the history of this land, and the arrival of Champlain does not define Quebec. The First Nations have been present here for millennia and are deeply attached to this territory that they occupy,” declared Mr. Picard in the press release.
“To suggest that we are prehistory amounts to relegating us to a secondary role, when our contribution to the formation of modern Quebec is fundamental. This narrow nationalism does not represent the history of Quebec; he omits entire sections for political reasons.”
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