Robert Libman: Criticism shouldn't be confused with 'Quebec bashing'

The CAQ government acts as if only the majority matters. It would do well to try to understand the perspectives of members of the province's minorities.

“Sometimes you have to look at yourself in the mirror.”

All too often, people have trouble seeing themselves through others’ eyes, and accepting that their actions may sometimes be responsible for eliciting criticism.

Quebec’s political class reflexively characterizes criticism of certain Quebec laws as “Quebec bashing,” with all the righteous indignation and piling on that follows. Rarely is there any attempt to see things from the perspective of those who bear the brunt of those laws. Rarely does one stop to think about whether there might be any validity to the objections.

The accusation of “Quebec bashing” is often a distortion and distraction. For the most part, criticism of the Quebec government — or any other — does not spring from thin air. If Alberta were to pre-emptively use the notwithstanding clause to pass legislation limiting religious freedoms, people would be “bashing” Alberta. If the premier of Ontario and his immigration minister made statements linking immigration with “extremists” and “violence,” or “people who don’t work,” as did François Legault and Jean Boulet respectively, they would certainly be pilloried. If New Brunswick moved to change its bilingual status, declaring that English was to be its only official language, they would be roundly condemned, with Quebec probably leading the charge.

But the cassette was replayed this week with another quasi-unanimous resolution adopted by the National Assembly, this time denouncing comments written by Amira Elghawaby, the newly appointed special representative on combatting Islamophobia, and calling on the federal government to terminate her mandate.

A few years ago, Elghawaby co-authored an opinion piece criticizing Quebec’s secularism law (Bill 21), which prohibits the wearing of any religious symbols or garments by certain public employees. Despite being a well written and thoughtful critique of the law, the piece included a line that painted most Quebecers with a broad brush of anti-Muslim sentiment. This blanket generalization that she carelessly based on an opinion poll was reason to question her ability to hold this post, which requires the building of bridges. Quebecers are no more anti-Muslim or antisemitic or racist than members of any other society in North America. Intolerance exists everywhere to some degree, levels of which vary from one individual to another, based on numerous factors.

Most Quebecers support Bill 21 because they see it as guaranteeing secularism, not because they see the law as anti-Muslim or as a negation of religious freedoms.

But they are not in the shoes of a Muslim woman who feels a religious obligation to wear a hijab or an orthodox Jewish man who wears a kippah. Bill 21 interferes with their freedom to practice their religion by forcing them to choose, for example, between practising their faith and professions like teaching. And the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause denies them recourse via their Charter rights.

Likewise, the premier and others contest the existence of systemic racism or racial profiling without fully understanding the perspectives and experiences of Blacks and others who live with this reality.

This government acts as if only the majority matters. A failure to see things through the eyes of those in the minority, who live different realities, leads to actions that are insensitive and that can sometimes be labelled as intolerant.

This disconnect both opens Quebec up to criticism and controversy, and also makes it difficult to accept it objectively. It’s too easy to blame others instead of owning up to the impacts of one’s own policies and actions.

Fair comment should not be confused with “bashing.” Quebec politicians all too often paint critics with a broad brush just as they’re accusing Amira Elghawaby of doing.

A good, hard look in the mirror is badly needed.

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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