Carney slammed by Quebec sovereigntist movement after invoking British conquest
QUEBEC CITY — Days after a commanding speech that earned him praise on the world stage, Prime Minister Mark Carney was back in the country to hammer the values and choices that have set Canada apart for centuries — but got some backlash from leaders from the Quebec sovereigntist movement.
Carney also had a clear message to U.S. President Donald Trump: “ Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
Speaking at the Citadelle of Quebec on Thursday afternoon, Carney started off by recounting the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, which saw British General James Wolfe defeat the French troops led by Marquis de Montcalm and led to the surrender of Quebec to the British.
“Two hundred and sixty-seven years ago, this ground was soaked with blood,” he said. “Two empires had collided. One had prevailed. What would come next? The answer that emerged — slowly, imperfectly, not without struggle, but unmistakably— cooperation. Partnership. A shared future,” he said, surrounded by his cabinet ministers.
That response, the prime minister continued, was not inevitable. He claimed it was “chosen” by British administrators who “eventually saw the wisdom of cooperation” and “chosen by French Canadians who eventually committed to build within the new reality.”
From that emerged, he said, the “growing commitment” that the coexistence of two peoples who fought each other, speaking two different languages, practicing different religions and with two different legal traditions, can “coexistence could make us stronger.”
“In a time of rising populism and ethnic nationalism, Canada can show how diversity can be a strength, not a weakness. In a time of democratic decline, we can show how rights can be protected, and equal freedoms endure,” he said.
“In a time of rising walls and thickening borders, we can demonstrate how a country can be both open and secure, welcoming and strong, principled and powerful.”
In a post on X, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet slammed Carney for having presented a rather rosy picture of the British conquest of New France.
“The Conquest and its dead, that was an act of collaboration,” he sneered.
“Thank you for giving Quebecers an opportunity to remember who they are (and) what the prime minister, on his cloud, is stubbornly ignoring,” he continued.
Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon accused Carney of falsifying history and said he would be responding to the prime minister at his party convention this weekend.
Still, Carney insisted that Canada, while imperfect, can serve as a model to others.
“Canada cannot solve all the world’s problems. But we can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn’t destined to be warped towards authoritarianism and exclusion; it can still bend towards progress and justice,” he said.
Carney said values such as inclusivity, fairness, solidarity, sustainability and ambition are not “abstract ideals” but practical guides that are an integrant part of Canada’s identity.
“Our duty is to be inspired by them to continue to build in these revolutionary times.”
His public comments are his first since the speech he delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday where Carney declared the death of the old “rules-based international order” and exhorted countries to speak out against bullies and “hegemons.”
Carney’s speech elicited a chilly but brief response from Trump who, during a 70-minute address in Davos on Wednesday, claimed that Canada — and its prime minister — should be “grateful” to its southern neighbour.
“They should be grateful to us, Canada — but they’re not. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
But Carney’s speech was met with a standing ovation in the room and drew direct praise from so-called “middle powers” including Mexican and Australian officials.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called it a “very good speech” that is “in tune with the current times,” while Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was a “stunning speech” that is being “widely shared and discussed” inside his government.
Carney and his ministers are taking part in a cabinet retreat — which his government has renamed “Cabinet Planning Forum” — to prepare for the year ahead.
The location of their cabinet meetings was symbolic. The Citadelle of Quebec is a fortress which was built by the British army in the early 19th century to resist an American attack that ultimately never came. Today, it remains an operational military base.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne was in Davos with Carney earlier this week. Speaking to reporters, Champagne called the prime minister’s speech “historic.”
“That was the moment where Canada was really back on the world stage and leading with the strength of our ideas and our values,” he said.
Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, who was at the Citadelle for a panel on affordability and building strong communities, said he was happy someone was standing up to Trump.
“It’s the logic of intimidation, where you give an inch and he’ll ask for a foot. If you give a foot, he’ll ask for five feet. If you give him five feet, he’ll ask for 50 meters,” he said.
“It’s time that… Canada and Quebec decide to protect themselves.”
But Carney — who is only two seats away from forming a majority government after Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland resigned earlier this year — also had a message for Canadians at the start of a new and unpredictable year: the federal government needs to move, and fast.
Several key pieces of legislation, including the budget implementation act and many initiatives to fight crime, are stuck in parliamentary limbo.
Meanwhile, the world — and technology — is moving fast.
“The advent of artificial intelligence will simultaneously challenge fairness, inclusion and solidarity while creating enormous opportunities to improve how we live, work and play. These tensions can only be reconciled if AI works for all,” Carney said.
He said his government will soon present an “AI for all strategy” to tackle the challenges of the new technology while maximizing its potential for all Canadians.
Parliament is set to resume its work on Monday after a seven-week winter break.
National Post
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