Following a request from the group Féministes en mouvement at Laval University seeking to cancel the event of young Péquistes, scheduled for March 26 in Quebec City and concerning the future of the Quebec nation, the Réseau féministe québécois denounces an attempt at censorship.
Preventing a conference from taking place on the grounds that certain ideas are disturbing is not a matter of justice, but of a refusal to engage in debate. At the Réseau féministe québécois, we believe that universities must remain spaces for open discussion, even and especially when the topics are divisive. Reducing speakers to their gender, origin, or opinions impoverishes collective dialogue.
It is in this spirit that Alexandra Houle, president of the Réseau féministe québécois, spoke on Ouellet live on CHOI RADIO X - 98.1 - Quebec to comment on this situation.
Rather than cancelling or censoring, let's favor listening, debate, and the exercise of critical judgment. Quebec women and men deserve a genuine exchange of ideas, not a filtered debate.
