The CSQ’s most recent Sociopolitical Action Network took place in Laval on April 25 and 26 and focused on the many issues currently affecting American society. However, it is vital to take an interest in our neighbors to the South since, as the saying goes, when the United States sneezes, Canada catches the flu!
By Gabriel Danis, CSQ advisor
The first day of the Network was dedicated to better understanding the entire sociopolitical, legal and media context of the next American elections, starting with a presentation by Richard Hétu, author, journalist and correspondent in New York for La Presse. Mr. Hétu presented a good overview of the four trials of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, their media coverage and the issues of this surprising legal-political epic.
It was an opportunity to discuss possible scenarios for the coming months, including the most surprising, yet not improbable: a person convicted of a criminal finding himself at the head of the most powerful state in the world. Mr. Hétu also addressed stories of disinformation carried by the far right, which are blowing hard and reaching Canada in unprecedented ways.
Censorship comes to schools
The climate of intense polarization currently prevailing in the United States even interferes with the academic freedom of teachers. Indeed, we are witnessing a proliferation of legislative acts to restrict education in 18 American states. These restrictions touch on topics like race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ identities, among others. This censorship also affects books that can no longer be made available in school libraries or read aloud in class.
So, there are currently 2532 books that are currently banned in different states, such as the biography of Roberto Clemente. This book is banned in Florida because Mr. Clemente talks about the racism he experienced when he began his career as a baseball player. In short, as American education union organizations say, these laws restrict the freedom to read, learn and think.
Women’s rights under attack
Valérie Beaudoin, associate researcher at the Observatory on the United States, exposed all the complexity of the issues related to the right to abortion and the dramatic consequences for millions of American women who could be deprived of it. An issue which risks being at the heart of the presidential campaign next November.
The American electoral system
The second day of the Network was devoted to the American electoral system, with a conference by Christophe Cloutier-Roy, deputy director of the Observatory on the United States. The American system is complex and differs from state to state. People participating in the Network can now find their way around better!
Finally, by way of conclusion, Frédérick Gagnon, holder of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair in Strategic and Diplomatic Studies, presented the topic of the day, namely the rematch electoral contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Participants were able to discuss predictions, the different races in the states and possible reversals between now and November 5.
){kind=link}