(Quebec) The parliamentary leader of Quebec solidaire (QS), Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, defends the choice of Télé-Québec to invite him to give a conference in a secondary school.
The government on Tuesday expressed discomfort with the QS co-spokesperson being part of a tour of secondary schools in April and May at the invitation of the public broadcaster. He is the guest speaker in a high school in Quebec as part of a tour that includes other personalities chosen by young people.
“We should all be happy that young people, when it comes time to choose people who inspire them, choose political figures, not just TV stars, argued Mr. Nadeau-Dubois. Should young people be forced to choose one person per party? »
He assured that he would not go to the conference with QS posters.
“I’m going to talk about the importance of civic engagement, the importance of committing to the environment, explaining to them a little about how it works, democracy. Would you please tell me what’s the matter with that? »
His colleague deputy for Rosemont, Vincent Marissal, came to his defense. According to him, it is “healthy” for elected officials to give lectures in high schools and it is up to Télé-Québec to decide.
“I am proud as an MP to see that my two co-spokespersons (Mr. Nadeau-Dubois and Manon Massé) inspire young people in the fight against climate change. »
According to the Parti Québécois (PQ), organizing tours for some elected officials, but not others, with young people who will have the right to vote in 2026 does not fall within the role of a public broadcaster like Télé-Québec, even if it is the choice of young people in a competition.
“Give him his award [to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois], but Télé-Québec is not obliged to organize conferences to promote him! launched the PQ MP for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, in a press scrum on Wednesday morning.
“Did we offer the same thing [to PQ leader] Paul St-Pierre Plamondon? To the Liberal leader [Marc Tanguay], to the Prime Minister [François Legault]? Of course not, ”continued Mr. Bérubé, thus claiming fairness.
It was Mr. Bérubé who arrested the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, on Tuesday evening. He then replied that it was “surprising” and that he felt “some discomfort”.
However, he does not believe that his role was to “interfere” in the affairs of Télé-Québec, adding that if he did, fellow parliamentarians would blame him.
Mammoths are elected by young people through a competition. The Mammoth conferences which are to take place in schools in Montreal, Quebec and Trois-Rivières “aim to create more exchanges between young people and the personalities they have elected Mammoth”, can we read on a document from Télé- Quebec.
Télé-Québec presents Mammoth as a “great movement” of young people to “sometimes denounce, but also underline positive actions, greet and thank people who motivate you”.
Athletes Justine Dufour-Lapointe and Marie-Philip Poulin, rapper Samian, influencer Claudie Mercier and CAQ minister Kateri Champagne Jourdain are among the personalities highlighted by Mammouth.
