Peter Black
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
peterblack@qctonline.com
On Dec. 7, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of a new lieutenant-governor of Quebec, Manon Jeannotte, a woman of many accomplishments, not the least of which is serving as chief and councillor of the Gespeg Micmac nation in the Gaspé.
When Jeannotte is sworn in on Jan. 25, she will succeed J. Michel Doyon, a distinguished lawyer who has held the position since 2015. Jeannotte is the first Indigenous person to be appointed to the position in Quebec, and the second woman, following the regrettable 10-year tenure of Lise Thibault (convicted of fraud, served six months in prison. Another first).
In a Radio-Canada interview on the day her appointment was announced, Jeannotte, a graduate of the McGill/HEC executive MBA program, said about the vice-regal gig, “It is a source of pride, a recognition. For me, the priority has always been reconciliation, working together, being there for everyone. I want us to find a way, as a society, to progress together, to understand each other better.”
Gaspé Mayor Daniel Coté said about Jeannotte, “She carries this culture, this background, and with her qualities as a leader and visionary … I can tell you that I am terribly proud. It’s incredible.”
“Incredible” might be one way to describe, in a less complimentary way, how the National Assembly reacted the very day after Jeannotte’s nomination.
On a motion proposed by Sol Zanetti, the Québec Solidaire MNA for the Quebec City riding of Jean-Lesage, the National Assembly voted unanimously, all 100 of the deputies in the chamber that sleepy Friday morning, to abolish the office of lieutenant-governor. That includes all 15 purportedly federalist Liberals in attendance. Premier François Legault had exited before the vote.
The motion reads: “With all respect for the person who occupies this position, may the National Assembly note that the function of lieutenant-governor has no democratic legitimacy and that its origins remind us of a colonial period in our history which no longer has anchoring in modern Quebec; Let it take note of the very weak attachment of Quebecers to monarchical institutions; That the National Assembly expresses the wish that the position of lieutenant-governor be replaced by a democratic institution.”
The motion, seconded by the Parti Québécois, will be sent to the federal government and the Coalition pour l’abolition de la monarchie au Québec.
No debate, no speeches … and of course, no actual legislative impact, aside from the symbolic statement of rejection of the monarchy.
One wonders, despite the “all respect” bit, how the incoming LG feels about such a rebuff in the immediate aftermath of an appointment she accepted with pride, knowing its historic baggage.
The reference to the “colonial period” surely must seem to her a bit rich coming from a body of lawmakers containing precisely one Indigenous member (CAQ MNA Kateri Champagne Jourdain, who voted for the abolition). There has been only one other Indigenous MNA in Quebec history.
How does such a motion rank on the wokeness scale, where knee-jerk abhorrence of the monarchy trumps the implied gratuitous insult to a prominent Indigenous woman appointed to an important, though largely symbolic post?
There is, of course, no suggestion in the motion of how exactly the “position of lieutenant-governor be replaced by a democratic institution.”
As those who inform themselves on such matters would know, it’s not that Canadians embrace the monarchy – indeed polls show most folks across the country would rather give King Charles III and the royal firm the heave-ho. The problem is finding the political will, the constitutional means and a workable alternative to the current admittedly archaic system.
The constitutional bit might be the easy part, requiring a majority vote of the House, the Senate and all 10 provincial legislatures. And then what?
The most recent – and rare – example of a subject nation abolishing the British monarchy is Barbados, where all that it took to do the deed in 2021 was a two-thirds majority vote of both houses of parliament.
The new president of the Republic of Barbados, incidentally, is Sandra Mason, elected by a majority vote of parliament. Mason had been the previous governor-general of the country.
Neither the abolition of the monarchy nor the selection of head of state involved a vote of the people. Not exactly “democratically legitimate.”
Here in Canada, we are stuck with Chuck for the foreseeable future, and so folks might as well embrace Manon Jeannotte, his esteemed and historic vice-regal rep.
30