Indigenous leaders reject Legault’s comments on Quebec history

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Despite angry protests from many of Quebec’s indigenous leaders, Premier François Legault has once again repeated his claim that Quebec’s history began with the arrival of French explorers 400 years ago.

Legault’s ministers found themselves doing damage control Tuesday after Indigenous leaders said the premier’s recent comments about creating a Quebec history museum excluded Indigenous people from Quebec history.

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Announcing the creation of the future National Museum of Quebec History on April 25, Legault said the history of Quebec “began first with the explorers Cartier, then Champlain, who is the founder of our nation.”

The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) issued a statement Tuesday to “remind the Quebec government that Quebec’s history began long before the arrival of Europeans to the territory.”

“By excluding the first peoples of Quebec history in the design of the future National Museum, the prime minister and historians are implicitly contributing to the systematic erasure of our common past,” says the statement from the AFNQL, a political organization of 43 First Nations chiefs. in Quebec and Labrador.

“The comments made are unacceptable,” said AFNQL chief Ghislain Picard. “We are inseparable from the history of this land and the arrival of Champlain does not define Quebec. First Nations have been present here for millennia and are deeply attached to this territory they occupy. “To suggest that we are prehistoric is to relegate us to a secondary role, while our contribution to the formation of modern Quebec is fundamental.”

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On Tuesday, Ian Lafrenière, minister responsible for First Nations and Inuit relations, issued a statement on the matter.

“We recognize that indigenous peoples inhabited this territory long before us,” Lafrenière wrote. “In Quebec, First Nations and Inuit are an integral part of the past, present and future. Quebec maintains a nation-to-nation relationship with them, thus recognizing their history and contribution. It is impossible to present the history of the Quebec nation without talking about the contribution of the First Nations and the Inuit. It is worth highlighting within the museum.”

In a written statement, Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe told The Gazette: “Quebec deals nation-to-nation with First Nations and Inuit and recognizes their distinct history in Quebec territory. However, the National Museum of Quebec History will present the history of the Quebec nation, distinct from that of the First Nations and the Inuit. That said, it is true that it is impossible to present the history of the Quebec nation without talking about its numerous exchanges with the First Nations and the Inuit.”

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Both ministers noted that the content of the new museum will not be decided by the Quebec government, but by an advisory committee of experts selected and overseen by the Museum of Civilization.

On Wednesday morning, reporters asked Legault again about the issue and whether First Nations history would be included in the museum.

“This museum is to talk about our nation, right?” the Prime Minister said, pointing with both hands towards himself. “And I think that the 11 nations of indigenous peoples would not like to say that it is the same nation. Of course, there are things that we did together, but we are talking about the Quebec nation, so I think our Quebec nation started with Champlain, maybe a little bit with Jacques Cartier, but it started especially with Champlain and I think it’s important to “Make sure for all Quebecers to know our nation.

When asked if the museum would mention indigenous contributions to the development of Quebec, he responded: “Of course. Of course. Yes. I said it when I announced the museum that of course the indigenous people were there before us, a long time before us. They had many issues that they worked on together with our nation.”

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The First Nations Education Council (FNEC), an association of 22 Quebec First Nations who are working for First Nations to exercise full jurisdiction over education, also weighed in on the controversy.

“Our history is closely linked to that of the Quebecers, with whom we have shared this territory for several centuries,” said FNEC general director Denis Gros-Louis. “However, it is reductionist to think that we only belong to prehistory. We’ve been here a long time and we’re proud of it. We are part of the past, of course, but to claim that the history of the Quebec territory only began with the arrival of Samuel de Champlain is inaccurate. He addresses me to Premier Legault and the team of the new National Museum of Quebec History so that people can understand the importance we have had and continue to have in the development of Quebec and the First Nations.”

The AFNQL also requires that the new museum actively involve recognized Indigenous historians in the museum project. “This is the only way to guarantee access for future generations to all the facets that make up our common history in the territory we share,” Picard said.

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Gregory Kelley, MNA for Jacques-Cartier and the Liberal Party’s critic on relations with English-speaking Quebecers, said he hopes the new museum will include not only the contributions of indigenous people but also English-speaking Quebecers and immigrants.

“I hope that the museum reflects all the members of our nation, that there are parts that talk about the contributions of English-speaking Quebecers, the impact that Irish immigrants had on the history of Quebec, or Italian immigrants, Greek immigrants , immigrants Jewish community. … What I heard from Mr. Legault and the Minister of Culture is that their vision and definition of the Quebec nation is quite narrow.”

He hopes the museum “reflects our collective stories as all Quebecers, no matter their background or the language they speak at home. We all have a story to share and tell. Of course, this museum will be open to Quebecers, but we know that Quebec City is also a great tourist site, and when people come here from abroad, we want them to know our entire history as a people.”

The Musée national de l’histoire du Québec will be located in the Camille-Roy pavilion of the Séminaire de Quebec in Quebec City and is expected to be open to visitors in spring 2026.

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