Robert Libman: It's time to concentrate on the real problems

The National Assembly got down to business this past week, an abbreviated sitting before breaking for the holidays next Friday.

The highlight was Premier François Legault’s lengthy inaugural address on Wednesday, setting out his government’s agenda for the next four years.

The speech opened with a teaser about national identity and language, the fragile destiny of “our beautiful francophone nation in North America,” but most of this hot-button topic was saved for a crescendo at the end. Legault first delved into his other major priority areas, elaborating on many substantive initiatives in education, the economy, the environment and health care, before addressing, finally, identity.

Minority communities may have hoped for a break from the emotional fatigue related to language or identity debates of the past four years. Sorry to say, that won’t happen.

In the francophone media over the past couple of weeks, the pressure had been building on the premier and language minister Jean-François Roberge, with numerous reports and commentary sounding the alarm about the decline of French, the “anglicization” of stores, shopping centres, hospitals and so on in Laval and Montreal. Leading into Legault’s Wednesday speech, a headline in La Presse blared that the government is hoping to mobilize a “national reawakening” — “pour stopper le déclin du français.”

The decline of French, or “rampant anglicization,” is news to most anglophones, who increasingly feel that they can’t count on receiving many government or institutional or other services in their language outside western Montreal. It’s as if we’re living in side-by-side alternate realities. While anglophones generally think this government has gone too far, the nationalist commentators — who hold far more sway — condemn the Legault government for being too soft on language.

At the centre of the debate is no longer how many people can speak French, but what percentage of people actually speak French at home. Legault cited statistics, claiming that this decline, particularly in Montreal, is an existential issue and that it’s his obligation to reverse the trend. He maintained that the “positive” effects of his sweeping language law, Bill 96, will be felt in the coming years, but suggested that those measures, which override minority rights, are still not enough.

His key focus now for “stemming the decline” of French is immigration. His government wants to target 100-per-cent-francophone immigration by 2026 and to attract international students to attend francophone CEGEPs and universities.

Unfortunately, such measures won’t satisfy nationalist opinion and pressure will continue. Then what? New legislation to deter francophones from leaving Montreal for the suburbs? Politely asking anglophones to leave Quebec?

Meanwhile, the Parti Québécois sideshow continues. The three MNAs refusing to swear the oath to King Charles showed up at the door on Thursday, but weren’t allowed into the Assembly, so left with cameras blazing. Despite all the struggles facing Quebecers regarding health care or the cost of living, they continued to go rogue on a symbolic issue that doesn’t affect the lives of citizens. Although all parties have agreed that taking that oath is archaic and will be dispensed with, everyone, except the PQ seem to understand that “When you want to change the game, you gotta play the game,” as Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois opined. Interestingly, though, members of his party rudely refused to stand, as is customary, when the vice-regal Lieutenant Governor entered the Assembly for his speech.

It’s time for Quebec to take a deep breath and focus on the real problems. Legault came across as the premier of all Quebecers in much of his speech, proposing interesting initiatives in many areas. It would be nice if we all concentrated on those priorities, which could actually improve the lives of Quebecers.

Robert Libman is an architect and building planning consultant who has served as Equality Party leader and MNA, as mayor of Côte-St-Luc and as a member of the Montreal executive committee. He was a Conservative candidate in the 2015 federal election. twitter.com/robertlibman

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