First I want to say a few words about the tragic death of George Floyd in the
United States. As Premier of Quebec, I stand in solidarity with the people who
denounce racial violence we must continue to build a society free of
racism. I want to thank the vast majority of people who respected the distancing
measures and who were a mask at the protest in Montreal yesterday. On the
other hand, those who took advantage of it to loot and vandalize must face the
legal consequences.
Mr. Premier, going back to yesterday's protest one of the
main messages from the protesters was that systemic
racism is not just a U.S. problem, that there is systemic racism with Montreal
police and the SQ. Do you agree with those protesters?
I would say that
yes, we have to admit that we have some problems in in Montreal, in Quebec, but
the problem is not as worse as in the United States, I would say. But still, I don't
like to see that few — it's a real very, very small minority of our police people
that they choose a bit the people arrested, so I would like that we stop
that and I want to make sure that the study that is done and the book that
will be presented, the green book by Geneviève Guilbault, this problem will be studied
in order to that we make sure that it doesn't happen anymore.
I'm gonna retake the question of my colleague from CBC and I'll just go in
a little more detail here. Justin Trudeau, earlier today he said
regarding the protests in the U.S., but in Canada as well, he said anti-black racism
is real, unconscious bias is real, systemic discrimination is real and they
happen in Canada. So do you still think that Trudeau is wrong and that the
protesters yesterday are wrong and that there is no systemic discrimination and
systemic racism in Quebec?
We have this discussion very often. I think there
is some discrimination in Quebec but there is no systemic discrimination.
There's no system in Quebec of discrimination. It's a very, very small
minority of the people that are doing some discrimination.