The Quebec Nation Museum will not ignore Indigenous people, says Legault

Photo: Karoline Boucher The Canadian Press Wednesday May 8, while the opposition accused him of disrespecting the First Nations, Mr. Legault recognized their contribution to the development of the Quebec nation.

The First Nations have contributed to the development of the history of the Quebec nation, François Legault declared Wednesday. The Prime Minister still insisted on the importance of highlighting the Quebec nation in the exhibitions of the future National Museum of Quebec History (MNHQ).

“It is the National Museum of the History of Quebec, therefore, it is the museum of the Quebec nation,” he declared at a press briefing.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Legault announced the creation of the MNHQ in order to stir the pride of Quebecers. This new establishment will realize the ambitions which were to be expressed through the Blue Spaces network, a project canceled due to its excessive costs.

At the time of announcement, the historian Éric Bédard, who will act as a consultant on the project, had affirmed that the Aboriginal people represented the “prehistory of Quebec”, a position which he then qualified.

The Quebec nation

On Wednesday, while the opposition accused him of disrespecting the First Nations, Mr. Legault recognized their contribution to the development of the Quebec nation. “Listen, when we arrived, the indigenous nations were already here, there were links that were forged,” he said. So, we definitely worked together. For sure. »

Obviously, we are going to talk about the Indigenous people who were there before we arrived

— François Legault

The Prime Minister specified that the new museum establishment will take this into account in its exhibitions. “The idea is to show the history of the nation which was French-Canadian, which is now Quebecois, which began with Champlain,” he said. “Obviously, we’re going to talk about the Indigenous people who were there before we arrived. »

The Minister of Employment, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, a member of the Innu nation, recalled that a committee will be responsible for developing the exhibitions presented at the MNHQ. “Of course, I would like to reiterate that the history of the First Nations is closely linked to that of the development of the Quebec nation,” she said.

Ms. Champagne Jourdain affirmed that relations with Indigenous people are an important component of Quebec's history. “The Indigenous people are here, have a millennial presence and they have had relationships, there have been contacts made with the first arrivals, and Indigenous cultures have certainly influenced the history of Quebec and Quebec culture, that is part of the history of Quebec. »

Lack of respect

The Minister responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, Ian Lafrenière, affirmed that the MNHQ will be a museum on the history of the Quebec nation, and not on the history of Quebec and its geography. “There are several museums that exist in Quebec on several First Nations; the nation of Quebec, to have a museum, it’s correct,” he said at a press briefing.

Photo: Francis Vachon Le Devoir The MNHQ will be installed in the Camille-Roy pavilion of the Séminaire de Québec.

In the National Assembly, Liberal MP André A. Morin accused the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, of having proposed a project that does not take into account the contribution of Indigenous people. “He has just destroyed 30-plus years of reaching out to First Nations,” he said. What a lack of respect towards these people. Perhaps it is relevant to remind our CAQ colleagues that the First Nations have been on the territory for thousands of years ? »

Mr. Lacombe affirmed that the government supports the First Nations and the Inuit so that they can highlight their history.

“We have a project, that of the National Museum of history of Quebec. It will be a wonderful museum for all Quebecers, he said. The committee of experts will work on the content. »