Jacques Cartier planted a cross on the Gaspe Peninsula in 1534, and claimed the territory in the name of the French King. From that moment, it seems that Quebec was destined to forever intertwine Church and State. To this day there hangs a crucifix in the National Assembly, and there have been protests to take it down. I say, under no circumstances.
Each nation is entitled to its history as a fundamental right of self-expression. History must have a presence in every classroom, courtroom, and government building. Symbols of that history should never be removed, hidden, or denied. The preservation of history is crucial to the authenticity and strength of their identity.
The first permanent settlement in New France was established by Samuel de Champlain on the shores of the St. Lawrence in 1608. It began as a habitation, small wooden lodges that would serve as a trading post supplying French ships with the furs provided by Algonquin allies. Missionary efforts had already begun two years before the first habitant arrived to cultivate the land, and would increase significantly with the arrival of the Jesuits in 1625. Cardinal Richelieu would form the Company of One Hundred Associates two years later with the dual purpose of expanding both the fur trade and missionary efforts. The creation of this company stands in firm rebuke to the claim that New France evolved solely for financial reasons. Missionary efforts were not only distinctly important to the French Court, but to the one hundred investors who gave small fortunes for their sake.
Champlain would control both the company and the colony until his death in 1635. From this point the Jesuits would have total administrative control of New France until 1663. The Jesuit Priests who lived among the Huron would form a bond between the two people that allowed the Quebecois to survive attacks from the Iroquois and the English colonies for a hundred years. Within the habitation, the Church undertook all educational, social, and health-care responsibilities. By the time New France fell to he British in 1763, the Catholic Church had been directly responsible for the formation of a culture so distinct and vibrant that it could not crumble under British occupation.
It is alongside the Catholic Church that the Quebecois nation has survived history. In the rebellions of 1837-38, it was the Church that kept Lower Canada relatively peaceful while Ontario went up in flames. In the debates of Confederation, it was only after the Church endorsed George-Étienne Cartier that he had the political power to become Sir John A. MacDonald’s ally in forming Canada. The Church saw Confederation as the best way to protect the identity and independence of Quebec, an argument that was often challenged but never faded despite the hanging of Louis Riel and the Conscription Crisis. The Quiet Revolution may have ended the Church’s control over health care and education, as well as its relevance in the lives of many, but it nevertheless remains a bedrock of society. With the efforts to remove the Crucifix in the National Assembly, the Quebecois may soon see their identity eroded by the secular movement of history. To all who support this effort I ask, is the divide between Church and State so important that it justifies censoring a Quebecois’ history and identity? Let the Quebecois keep their history and identity, and let it see no restrictions in classrooms, courtroom, and places of government.
