Indigenous issues take back seat in Quebec election as campaign winds down
“We feel ignored,” Johnny Wylde, a residential school survivor, told Legault during the visit. The CAQ leader responded that he would spend more time with First Nations communities should he win the Oct. 3 election.
Legault visited the site of St-Marc-de-Figuery residential school in Amos, Que., which operated between 1955 and 1973. The site was razed, and what remains is a plaque, and next to it are dozens of pairs of children’s shoes, a symbol of those children that never came home. Speaking to reporters later in the day, Legault said his goal was to have agreements with First Nations and Inuit nations involving such things as protected areas and economic development. He said the process has been slow because each of the 11 First Nations in the province wants their own agreement. The Quebec government has thus far signed five agreements.
As well, she said that Sept. 30 — National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — should be a statutory holiday in Quebec, adding that the day is an opportunity to reflect on what happened in residential schools and to focus on the future. Legault has refused to make the day an official provincial holiday; he has said Quebecers don’t need another day off and that the province needs more “productivity.