Is the CAQ still Charlie?
I am worried.
When I see that in Quebec an event is cancelled because the ideas conveyed there do not please the government, I wonder if the CAQ has understood what freedom of expression is.
As a reminder, defending freedom of expression means defending the right to convey statements that disturb us, disgust us! With whom do we profoundly disagree? After the events of Charlie Hebdo, in January 2015, thousands of us proclaimed loud and clear: "Je suis Charlie." Today, I wonder if the CAQ is still Charlie.
POLICING THOUGHT
Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx forced the cancellation of the "Rallye foi, feu, liberté" event, which included an anti-abortion portion and was scheduled to take place at the end of June at the Quebec City Convention Center, because it created a "great malaise." For me, it is the cancellation of this event, which was not criminal, that "creates discomfort" for me.
Subsequently, Mme Proulx said the Quebec City Convention Centre, the Palais des congrès de Montréal and the Olympic Park will have to ensure that the events they host respect the "fundamental principles of Quebec."
Misery! Let the minister send us the list of "fundamental principles of Quebec", so that we know what events are favoured in her eyes.
The decision worries me, by extension, for the arts. Will this policy also apply to subsidized museums, subsidized theatres and subsidized cultural venues?
"Our government is staunchly pro-choice. And this is a subject that is widely agreed in Quebec, "responded the office of Minister Proulx.
I have two problems with this position. 1. Does this mean that only government positions have a place in accredited government institutions? 2.Only "consensus" issues can be put forward?
Minister Proulx was threatening: "I notified all CEOs last night, reminding them that this type of event will not be held in Quebec's Crown corporations. We will ensure a very rigorous follow-up."
The single-thought police will crack down? Outside the Quebec consensus, no salvation?
That's exactly what you fight against when you're Charlie!
I have no affinity, either directly or indirectly, with ultra-religious people who want to ban women's free choice. But I will fight so that they can debate it publicly. The only reason I would agree to cancel an event in Quebec is incitement to hatred or defamatory remarks.
This decision, which seems to me to be a frontal attack on freedom of expression, represents a dangerous shift towards a control of "acceptable speech". We open the door to arbitrary decisions on what does or does not constitute statements that have the right to be cited.
WHAT VALUES?
I am completely stunned to hear the CEO of the Quebec City Convention Centre say that "freedom of expression is the rule," but that "as a Crown corporation, we think it is our role to adhere to certain values that the government promotes."
Will Télé-Québec, a publicly funded public television, also have to "adhere to certain values promoted by the government"?
Doesn't that scare you?
When I see that in Quebec an event is cancelled because the ideas conveyed there do not please the government, I wonder if the CAQ has understood what freedom of expression is.
As a reminder, defending freedom of expression means defending the right to convey statements that disturb us, disgust us! With whom do we profoundly disagree? After the events of Charlie Hebdo, in January 2015, thousands of us proclaimed loud and clear: "Je suis Charlie." Today, I wonder if the CAQ is still Charlie.
POLICING THOUGHT
Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx forced the cancellation of the "Rallye foi, feu, liberté" event, which included an anti-abortion portion and was scheduled to take place at the end of June at the Quebec City Convention Center, because it created a "great malaise." For me, it is the cancellation of this event, which was not criminal, that "creates discomfort" for me.
Subsequently, Mme Proulx said the Quebec City Convention Centre, the Palais des congrès de Montréal and the Olympic Park will have to ensure that the events they host respect the "fundamental principles of Quebec."
Misery! Let the minister send us the list of "fundamental principles of Quebec", so that we know what events are favoured in her eyes.
The decision worries me, by extension, for the arts. Will this policy also apply to subsidized museums, subsidized theatres and subsidized cultural venues?
"Our government is staunchly pro-choice. And this is a subject that is widely agreed in Quebec, "responded the office of Minister Proulx.
I have two problems with this position. 1. Does this mean that only government positions have a place in accredited government institutions? 2.Only "consensus" issues can be put forward?
Minister Proulx was threatening: "I notified all CEOs last night, reminding them that this type of event will not be held in Quebec's Crown corporations. We will ensure a very rigorous follow-up."
The single-thought police will crack down? Outside the Quebec consensus, no salvation?
That's exactly what you fight against when you're Charlie!
I have no affinity, either directly or indirectly, with ultra-religious people who want to ban women's free choice. But I will fight so that they can debate it publicly. The only reason I would agree to cancel an event in Quebec is incitement to hatred or defamatory remarks.
This decision, which seems to me to be a frontal attack on freedom of expression, represents a dangerous shift towards a control of "acceptable speech". We open the door to arbitrary decisions on what does or does not constitute statements that have the right to be cited.
WHAT VALUES?
I am completely stunned to hear the CEO of the Quebec City Convention Centre say that "freedom of expression is the rule," but that "as a Crown corporation, we think it is our role to adhere to certain values that the government promotes."
Will Télé-Québec, a publicly funded public television, also have to "adhere to certain values promoted by the government"?
Doesn't that scare you?
