The wife with an immigrant background, the autistic little girl, the toddler curled like an icon of Saint-Jean-Baptiste; Pierre Poilievre showed himself in his most reassuring light for his tour of Quebec. He spoke of a Quebec “at the breaking point” on immigration. He even spoke to “we” for the national holiday. “The French language remains the cornerstone of our identity and our heritage.”
But the ultimate sword of Damocles remains Law 21.
For a conservative leader opposed to identity-based clientelism, Quebec secularism poses quite a challenge.
Take responsibility
Pierre Poilièvre has never hidden the fact that he was against Bill 21. And he doesn’t waver, even in the middle of a charming campaign in Quebec.
In his mind, it is enough not to favor one religion over another. He adds: “individuals express a religion, it’s a freedom that I support.”
Freedom combined with secularism, we can say that he has a lot of ideas.
Worse, and what the Bloc will certainly exploit in the electoral campaign, it supports possible federal intervention before the Supreme Court.
And this is where it gets interesting.
Passageway
Reconciling Canadian aversion to Quebec secularism and respect for Quebec nationalism is not simple.
How to do it without denying its principles is even less so.
The solution? Pierre Poilievre affirms that “it will go back to the National Assembly and Quebecers will decide in the end.”
He thus implies that, even in the event of a setback before the Supreme Court (which I highly doubt), Quebec would have the last word on the future of Bill 21.
How, exactly?
We can count on the Bloc Québécois to force the Conservative leader to clarify his thoughts.
This will be all the more dangerous as English Canada will not ignore his comments on the issue for a long time.
