Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois Fired Back At Legault For Refusing To Acknowledge Systemic Racism

In a video message posted to Instagram, Québec Solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said that he was troubled by how Quebec Premier François Legault reacted to his call to implement Joyce's Principle in the province.

"We've been saying it for weeks, but François Legault seems to have less and less respect for people who don't think like he does," Nadeau-Dubois said.

Nadeau-Dubois was referring to a National Assembly meeting that took place on September 28, the anniversary of Joyce Echaquan's death.

At the meeting, Nadeau-Dubois asked Legault why his government would not implement the Principle, which "aims to guarantee to all Indigenous people the right of equitable access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services."

Legault said he takes issue only with the Principle's call for the government to recognize systemic racism — a term Legault rejects.

"We agree that there is some racism in Quebec and we need to fight it," Legault said at the National Assembly. "But now is not the time to divide Quebecers with certain words [...] so let's bring Quebecers together instead of being radical."

Legault doubled down on his statement at a press conference on September 29 where he went on to accuse Nadeau-Dubois of trying to score political "points" by bringing up systemic racism.

"I think that the majority of Quebec is ready to listen to our Indigenous brothers and sisters and recognize how they experience daily life," Nadeau-Dubois said on Instagram.

"It troubles me that in the middle of a pandemic, the premier twists the meaning of words of people who don't think like he does."