Achi news desk-
Former Quebec premier Jean Charest is concerned about the rise in lack of culture across the country.
In an open letter he signed along with former mayors, senators, artists and businessmen, he calls on the political class to take concrete actions to clean up the public debate.
The letter, published this week in the Globe and Mail, caused a huge stir on social media, Charest said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press.
“The reaction is very strong. We were surprised. It surprised me a lot,” he said. “Some people react badly, and see this appeal as a kind of call for silence when that is not the case at all.”
The signatories say they have noticed that Canadians are less and less tolerant of different points of view and are increasingly belligerent, especially when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
They point to a “broad and disturbing” trend that leads some people with “rigid ideologies” and without nuance to act in ways that are sometimes threatening and violent.
“We ask you, the senior political leaders, to demonstrate your shared commitment to fostering a safer, more cohesive and more respectful Canada, where there is no place for hate,” they wrote.
In their opinion, politicians should constantly talk about the “values ​​that unite us” and fight hate, while protecting the right of every Canadian to express strong or unpopular opinions.
If nothing is done to “urgently address the rise of brutality,” the fabric of Canadian society will “be torn apart, perhaps irreversibly,” the authors warn.
Belisle, St. Pierre Plamondon and Joly
For Charest, there is no doubt that social media has “freed people’s speech”.
He is especially furious to see what is happening in the municipalities of Quebec.
Last February, the mayor of Gatineau, France Bleil, threw in the towel and explained that she was the victim of intimidation. About 800 city council members have resigned since the 2021 elections.
“(Imcivilization) affects the ability of elected representatives to do their jobs, to the point that some people, like the mayor of Gatineau, give up,” Charest said. “There are women who unfortunately find themselves in quite distressed situations when people make comments on social media that are, frankly, hurtful and intended to hurt.”
He also mentioned PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who recently received death threats, and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, who was questioned on the street about hostilities in the Middle East.
The conflict is also fueling passions on the University of Quebec’s campuses, according to Charest.
“I spoke not long ago with a rector at the university. They are looking for (…) dialogue on the campuses, but it is very difficult, because there are a lot of emotions, which is a big concern,” he said.
Charest was Quebec’s premier from 2003 to 2012 and said he sees a “drift,” with the level of tension rising sharply in recent years, “hence the call for elected representatives to talk about it.”
He notes the influence of American politics: “We say to Quivers and all other Canadians: ‘Don’t let what happens in the United States affect your way of seeing things.'”
“We want to live in a society where there is a culture of tolerance, acceptance and dialogue (…) our democracy is too important to let these things go by without saying anything,” he concluded.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 6, 2024.
