[LINK] "Quebec’s maturing French pilgrimage"

[rfmcdonald]

Writing in The Globe and Mail, La Presse columnist Yves Boisfort argues that the relationship between France and Québec has matured, become marked by less Québec anxiety about being accepted by France.

Ever since French president Charles de Gaulle declared “Vive le Québec libre!” in 1967, Quebeckers have overanalyzed every French word uttered about the province. But as memories of de Gaulle slowly fade, they take with them the soft psychological colonialism that presided over those relations.

Today, when a French leader praises Quebec, it’s not only for its cultural survival skills or its fierce defence of the French language. President François Hollande said during Mr. Couillard’s visit that France “and the world” need Quebec’s input on sustainable growth.

Last fall, Mr. Hollande made the first state visit to Canada by a French president since 1987. Of course, he paid his visit to Quebec, but he also went to Alberta, and he seemed very pleased to meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Even in 2008, when French president Nicolas Sarkozy was on a working visit to Canada, he shocked many Péquistes with a speech at Quebec’s National Assembly where he clearly stated a preference for a united Canada – something his predecessors had always carefully avoided. The speech’s tone was devoid of nostalgia or patronizing.

Symbolism still matters, of course. On Tuesday, Mr. Couillard was standing beside French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron, who misquoted Mr. Couillard as having said, “As you told me, Québécois are Anglo-Saxons speaking French.” This apparent cultural confession immediately went on the all-news channel in Quebec; Mr. Macron had to rush back to clarify: “You said ‘North Americans speaking French,’ sorry.”