Towards a gender charter
The government will not be able to avoid a delicate reflection on gender identity and could draw inspiration from the debate on religious accommodations... to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Our collaborator explains the implications.
A former political advisor, Pascal Mailhot delves into the heart of current issues with an intimate knowledge of the corridors of power. After holding positions in the office of the Premier of Quebec during the mandates of Lucien Bouchard, Bernard Landry and François Legault, he is now vice-president of the public relations agency TACT.
Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon surprised the small world of Quebec politics by introducing the debate on gender identity and sex change to the National Assembly. Among all the issues of the end of the summer, he has made his choice.
For the PQ leader, ideologies from the "radical left" are increasingly imposing themselves in schools. He cited the presence of mixed toilets, inclusive writing theories or gender-neutral pronouns as examples — such as the case of the non-binary teacher who asked her students to call her Mx Martine. These new notions, believes the member for Camille-Laurin, had to be debated in parliamentary committee before being integrated into the school corpus.
The next day, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, announced the government's decision to create a "scientific committee" dedicated to examining these issues. "We will not go to parliamentary committee on this. The reason is simple, it is that we do not want this issue, which is very sensitive, to be instrumentalized for partisan purposes, "decided Mr. Drainville.
More than just a committeeIs the government trying to kick the issue on the sidelines? Before drawing this conclusion, let us wait and see what the mandate and composition of this group of wise men will be. The exercise is likely to go well beyond a guide document that already exists for principals and to which they can refer if necessary.
After the charter of values carried by Bernard Drainville in 2013 to establish the rules concerning religious symbols, are we now moving towards a kind of gender charter? Obviously, the debate will not disappear on its own. On the contrary, it is called upon to impose itself more and more in the public space. Fasten your toques!
This is reminiscent of the context that prevailed around 2006, when the issue of religious accommodation began to gain momentum. As a hospital manager at the time, I remember the perplexity in which health care professionals and facility managers were immersed as to how to handle these delicate situations.
Prominent examples from this period included the story of a woman about to give birth, whose husband insisted that a female doctor take care of her. The lack of a clear frame of reference or specific guidelines meant that each request for religious accommodation was handled individually, mostly improvisationally. Organizations, whether in health, education or other spheres, were often caught off guard, resulting in confusion and decisions that sometimes seemed contradictory and inconsistent.
Moreover, this debate was very emotionally charged for the population. These issues touched on fundamental values such as the secularism of the State, freedom of religion and gender equality. Some media outlets were highlighting isolated cases, exacerbating susceptibilities to religious accommodation. These distortions fueled a crisis that inflamed Quebec for years, a dynamic highlighted in the report of the Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences, commonly known as the Bouchard-Taylor Commission.
Risk of polarization
"We in government are questioned, in the small week, by the day, on each isolated case in a school, in a gym or other," says the minister responsible for the status of women, Martine Biron, about the debate on gender identity and the inclusion of trans and non-binary people in Quebec society. "I think we need to open a reflection to see what we do in general, to put precisely this great framework. "
"Politicians should leave these children alone," warns Québec solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. Such topics should not capture the attention of the government, which has many other priorities, add media voices. "A storm in a urinal," wrote columnist Isabelle Hachey in La Presse, regarding the issue of mixed toilets in schools.
But when the political vacuum persists in these sensitive areas, activists on all sides seize the opportunity to dictate their will through moral coercion, resulting in increasing polarization within society.
When it comes to thinking about gender identity head-on, the government is faced with a challenge that inevitably evokes past debate on religious accommodation. We play precisely here in the emotional register. And when the common sense of the population is offended, the debates cannot remain unanswered.
Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon surprised the small world of Quebec politics by introducing the debate on gender identity and sex change to the National Assembly. Among all the issues of the end of the summer, he has made his choice.
For the PQ leader, ideologies from the "radical left" are increasingly imposing themselves in schools. He cited the presence of mixed toilets, inclusive writing theories or gender-neutral pronouns as examples — such as the case of the non-binary teacher who asked her students to call her Mx Martine. These new notions, believes the member for Camille-Laurin, had to be debated in parliamentary committee before being integrated into the school corpus.
The next day, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, announced the government's decision to create a "scientific committee" dedicated to examining these issues. "We will not go to parliamentary committee on this. The reason is simple, it is that we do not want this issue, which is very sensitive, to be instrumentalized for partisan purposes, "decided Mr. Drainville.
More than just a committeeIs the government trying to kick the issue on the sidelines? Before drawing this conclusion, let us wait and see what the mandate and composition of this group of wise men will be. The exercise is likely to go well beyond a guide document that already exists for principals and to which they can refer if necessary.
After the charter of values carried by Bernard Drainville in 2013 to establish the rules concerning religious symbols, are we now moving towards a kind of gender charter? Obviously, the debate will not disappear on its own. On the contrary, it is called upon to impose itself more and more in the public space. Fasten your toques!
This is reminiscent of the context that prevailed around 2006, when the issue of religious accommodation began to gain momentum. As a hospital manager at the time, I remember the perplexity in which health care professionals and facility managers were immersed as to how to handle these delicate situations.
Prominent examples from this period included the story of a woman about to give birth, whose husband insisted that a female doctor take care of her. The lack of a clear frame of reference or specific guidelines meant that each request for religious accommodation was handled individually, mostly improvisationally. Organizations, whether in health, education or other spheres, were often caught off guard, resulting in confusion and decisions that sometimes seemed contradictory and inconsistent.
Moreover, this debate was very emotionally charged for the population. These issues touched on fundamental values such as the secularism of the State, freedom of religion and gender equality. Some media outlets were highlighting isolated cases, exacerbating susceptibilities to religious accommodation. These distortions fueled a crisis that inflamed Quebec for years, a dynamic highlighted in the report of the Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences, commonly known as the Bouchard-Taylor Commission.
Risk of polarization
"We in government are questioned, in the small week, by the day, on each isolated case in a school, in a gym or other," says the minister responsible for the status of women, Martine Biron, about the debate on gender identity and the inclusion of trans and non-binary people in Quebec society. "I think we need to open a reflection to see what we do in general, to put precisely this great framework. "
"Politicians should leave these children alone," warns Québec solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. Such topics should not capture the attention of the government, which has many other priorities, add media voices. "A storm in a urinal," wrote columnist Isabelle Hachey in La Presse, regarding the issue of mixed toilets in schools.
But when the political vacuum persists in these sensitive areas, activists on all sides seize the opportunity to dictate their will through moral coercion, resulting in increasing polarization within society.
When it comes to thinking about gender identity head-on, the government is faced with a challenge that inevitably evokes past debate on religious accommodation. We play precisely here in the emotional register. And when the common sense of the population is offended, the debates cannot remain unanswered.
