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National Post

Dimitri Soudas: Quebec City's foolish decision to erase history

Last week, the mayor of Quebec City made a decision that should concern every Canadian who still believes that history matters. Article content A historic mosaic, installed at city hall, depicting the moment Samuel de Champlain meets a First Nations chief, is being removed. Why? Because, and I quote, it was deemed to be 'offensive.' That's it. That was the only criterion. One of the most important figures in the founding of Quebec — and, by extension, of Canada — is now considered too problematic to be shown to the public. Article content Dans le dernier film de Denys Arcand, Testament, une scène identique se déroule. Le wokisme a son pire. Effacer l'histoire, qui nous sommes, au nom de l'inclusion et de la diversité de façade. Il existe toutes sortes de façons de se réconcilier avec les premières nations.… — Eric Duhaime (@E_Duhaime) June 17, 2025 Article content Let's be honest: the mosaic depicts a painful truth. Yes, the Indigenous chief is shown in a posture of submission. Yes, it reflects the colonial lens through which history was often portrayed. But the role of history is not to make us comfortable. It is to show us what happened. The moment we begin to edit the past to make it easier to look at, we stop telling the truth, and we begin to create fiction. Article content Article content Seventeen years ago, in 2008, I wrote the speech delivered by Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. It was one of the proudest moments of my life, because it was a moment of unity, between French and English, between past and present, between our country and the city that gave birth to it. Article content In that speech, Prime Minister Harper honoured our collective memory: '1608 is a historic date for you, for Quebec, and for all of Canada. Because it was beginning on July 3, 1608, exactly 400 years ago today, that we really started becoming what we are today.' Article content Article content He described Quebec City as 'the most beautiful city in Canada, the most enchanting, a city that breathes a real joy.' Article content Article content And he said something else, something deeply important to remember today: 'The seeds planted here 400 years ago today have blossomed into a magnificent city, a strong and proud Quebecois nation and a great Canadian country, strong and free.' Article content But he didn't stop there. He also acknowledged the founding role of French in Canada's identity: 'The 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City reminds us that French is Canada's founding language,' he said. 'The founding of Quebec City also marks the founding of the Canadian state.' Article content Let that sink in. The very language, culture and political existence of modern Quebec, and of Canada, can be traced to the moment Champlain arrived and established a settlement on the shores of the St. Lawrence. And today, that very moment is being removed from the walls of the city he founded.