The Paris Book Festival is putting Quebec literature in the spotlight this weekend. Strong ties unite France and the largest Canadian province, but their respective inhabitants are not necessarily the best of friends.
The inhabitants of France have their opinion on those of Quebec. Quebecers are also “fascinated” by the country for its art of living, writes Pierre-Yves Levesque. But the Quebec population does not hesitate to mock the French for “their abusive ‘ Anglicisms’”, he adds. The French influence, even if it does not always say its name, is deeply rooted, writes Levesques. The 2019 law on secularism, largely inspired by the French model, “does not understand” Quebecers, he writes. “For a Quebecer, the ultimate recognition is that of France’s role,” he adds, ‘even if it doesn’t always say it.’ The “affective relationship” maintained by the elites towards France has gradually crumbled, he says.