Mélissa Gélinas

Linda Larocque decided to step down as president of Impératif français on April 2, following the strong reactions she provoked by posting xenophobic comments on social media.

Some of her comments were:

“Islam in Islamic lands… not in Quebec, a secular land, damn it!”

“The veil offends me, and I despise those who wear it in secular Quebec.”

“In Rome, we do as the Romans did, go back to your Islamist countries, quickly.”

“We are being invaded.”

In addition to Larocque’s resignation, four members of Impératif français’s board of directors, including Sylvie Lemay, secretary; Gaston Carmichael, administrator; Gérard Lebrun, advisor; and her spouse, Pierre Vachon, treasurer, also submitted their resignations. “I believe this is a wise decision,” commented Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, Mayor of Gatineau. “The city will be there to support them, because we fundamentally believe in the mission of Impératif français and Outaouais en fête,” she continued. “We want this festival to continue in 2025 and beyond.” According to the Mayor, the City of Gatineau could not tolerate being associated with a partner whose spokespersons made comments like these. The goal is to be able to maintain the organization’s services and activities.

Wassim Aboutanos, the organization’s vice-president, will assume the interim presidency. “What’s important for us is that the organization be aligned with its values ​​and with the people it represents,” said Wassim. “When representing an organization, we have to stand by our words and our values.”

Furthermore, a new board of directors will be elected following a special general meeting to be convened shortly. “More than 20 members have requested this,” explained Wassim.

Shortly before her resignation, Linda Larocque issued an apology that was not well received. Mayor Marquis-Bissonnette stated that there was still much work to be done within the Impératif français organization. “I stand by what I said yesterday, which is that it’s difficult for an organization to maintain its position on statements like these in a context where it receives a lot of public money,” she said. “[…] these comments are unacceptable, in my opinion.”

Photo: Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, Mayor of Gatineau, during the press scrum (April 2, 2025) (MG) Photo: Screenshot