The CAQ or the refusal of science
We had a foretaste of what could potentially happen once the party was in power: preparing for the upcoming election, the Coalition avenir Québec went all out clear editorial choice, namely to exclude the mention of the term “environment” from its program. Not only the refusal to propose any measure, but also the refusal to use the word hated.
To hell, therefore, with the quasi-unanimity of science on the imminence of the ravages of global warming. In the words of one of its current MPs, Chantale Jeannotte: “The environment, we are not going to put ourselves in the street for that!”. Rather the opposite, madam.
The table thus set, not surprising to see now stuffing themselves, returned to power, with their ministers of absurdo-negationist declarations. Like “the third link will be carbon neutral”. Or this masterpiece of Newspeak, intellectual property of François Legault: the largest tunnel in the world “will be beneficial for the environment”.
At the same time, the death of Joyce Echaquan was also, in its own way, to highlight the CAQ's aversion to empiricism. Despite the substantiated reports from the coroner, the Viens commission, the Quebec Human Rights Commission and other confessions from the SPVM, which establish beyond a reasonable doubt the infections of systemic racism on Quebec soil, the Prime Minister and his adjutants cavalierly reject the conclusions, however unanimous.
Reason? Simple: the Petit Robert. According to the latter, the (separate) definitions of “racism” and “systemic” cannot find application here, the “system” obviously not being “racist”. A bit like the “rape” and “culture” of Guy Nantel, finally.
Continuing in the logic of the two comedians, a suggestion, for a next one: “hot dog”. Try this, see.
A lesser crisis, the decried appointment of Marie Grégoire as head of the BAnQ is also symptomatic of the above. Although the whole of the cultural and academic community has shouted its hoarse to warn the government of the lack of qualifications of its favorite candidate, it then modifies the relevant requirements, removing the one relating to the possession of a master's degree, absent from the CV of Ms Grégoire. Interviewed at Devoirafter her first 100 days in the job, she says: “We've talked a lot about digital transformation, now we're going to try to phrase it through the BAnQ experience. An experience where employees will have a high happiness index at do what they have to do, that is to say a task proportional to what we are capable of accomplishing. We're not going to split up.”
Huh? Concrete proof, unfortunately on the contrary, of the importance of prior qualifications.
Last scenario: the management of the current pandemic. Already well-documented, the blunders of Dr. Arruda, validated or ordered by the Cabinet for electoral purposes, are now legion, to the point of having caused his departure. The latest, worth mentioning: the refusal of N95 masks and purifiers in the classroom, which would cause a “false sense of security”. Incredible the same, right? All this – if the court was not already full – nearly 18 months after obtaining 432 million from the federal government to ensure the safety of students in the classroom. How was this money spent? Radio silence on the part of Quebec, which affirms… wanting to avoid harming its relations with Ottawa. Hypothesis: let's bet a little two on spending on surveys or advertisements, CAQ's flagship strategy.
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Environment . Fight against racism. Culture. Public health. Neuralgic areas where science and empiricism find themselves essentially neglected in favor of electoral calculations. The characteristic, when you think about it, of populism. The dark impression, to tell the truth, that this government takes us either literally for idiots, or it is a bit stupid itself. Deleterious and distressing, let's say.
