The Government Has Declared a War Against Civil Society: Let’s Turn Up the Heat!

Rights advocacy groups, community and international solidarity organizations, unions, and other citizens are calling on the public to stand together and denounce the policies of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government that are dismantling our public services and our social and political rights.

Different bills are being presented, one after the another, reinforcing previous measures based on the same logic. They are aimed at weakening our democratic institutions and silencing any critical voices capable of expressing legitimate disagreements and defending the rights of all, in particular the rights of minorities that face poverty, marginalization and discrimination. Often adopted using closure, these authoritarian and demagogic policies are destroying the very foundations of our democracy in order to serve the interests of economic elites.

Anti-social and anti-labour laws

Bill 8 (previously known as Bill 89) and the announced modification of the rules concerning union representation are not only an assault on the rights of workers in Quebec; they are part of a disturbing trend, undermining the mechanisms that protect our democracy. This is a most serious attack by a government against the labour movement.

With Bill 1, the Quebec Constitutional Act 2025, tabled on October 9, 2025, the CAQ government is threatening to dismantle the entire system of protection of human rights in Québec, just as the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms celebrates its 50th anniversary. Drafted behind closed doors, without any debate or consultation, this bill is nothing like a constitution.

Demonstrating a poorly-disguised authoritarianism, Bill 1 will undermine the capacity of civil society groups to defend our rights and freedoms, and it will weaken legal tools such as the Charter and the ability to challenge laws before the courts. By emphasizing concepts such as “parliamentary sovereignty” and “Quebec values,” Bill 1 creates a dangerous drift toward identity-based politics, the likes of which have not been seen since the time of Duplessis.

In a statement published on November 13, the Quebec Bar Association stated that these bills “contain provisions that significantly deviate from the values and traditions of Quebec society in favour of strengthening the power of the State,” and it fears an “erosion of the rule of law in Quebec.”

A dangerous drift with Trumpian overtones

With the rise of the far right and authoritarian practices of power around the world, the very foundations of our democratic systems are under threat. In Quebec, as elsewhere, rights that we thought were guaranteed are being undermined by these political decisions.

Driven by a logic of profit-making and a disregard for science, hundreds of job cuts and mergers of public-service institutions are interfering with our taking effective action to protect our ecosystems and the common good. All of this facilitates the approval of large industrial projects, while limiting the possibility of environmental and public health controls.

Recently, François Legault answered Donald Trump’s call for increased military expenditures by positioning Quebec as a major player in the military industry. His statement shows a troubling and dangerous change in orientation that can only be harmful to our society and the planet. At the same time, the militarization of the economy is coupled with anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies denying the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers.

Measures such as lowering of number of immigrants and the cancellation of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), as well as the erosion of asylum seekers’ rights, clearly show the CAQ’s strategy. While the government uses utilitarian arguments to restrict immigrants’ access to its territory, it simultaneously invests in the military industry, profiting from conflicts and the climate crisis that impoverish populations and force them to flee.

Today, the genocide in Gaza is a stark symbol of the toxic effects of our complicity toward a racist and totalitarian government guided by colonial objectives. It has led us to a world dominated by fear, militarization, exploitation, and contempt for international law. It is shameful that Quebec is strengthening its diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, despite repeated condemnations by the UN, and still refuses to grant RAMQ health insurance to families evacuated from Gaza. On November 29, International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, let us reaffirm that a violation of the rights of some is a violation of the rights of all.

Defending and becoming a society built on solidarity, justice and democracy

More and more Quebecers are struggling to make ends meet. Everywhere, the housing and homelessness crisis has reached alarming proportions. This situation is even more acute for Indigenous peoples. At the same time, as the planet reaches a tipping point, the CAQ is imposing cutbacks in environmental legislation and regulations. Despite the urgency of the issues that concern us, the government is diverting attention from its own failures by seeking scapegoats, such as migrants, immigrants, and religious minorities. And instead of seeking to resolve the root causes of social problems, it is attacking and suspending the funding of groups working to improve society.

We are committed to a Quebec that chooses solidarity over exclusion, respect over repression, dignity over fear, and social justice over the concentration of wealth in the hands of a privileged few.

The Quebec we want is rooted in values of solidarity, equity, and social justice; a society that welcomes all voices, in all their beautiful diversity, and respects the rebellious, critical, and free-thinking dissent that has long characterized Quebec’s image.

Let’s turn up the heat this winter! On November 29, let’s take to the streets to protect the vision of the Quebec society that we want: a fairer, more egalitarian and more inclusive society!

Take to the streets on Saturday, November 29!

Authors of this declaration:

Yasmina Moudda , Alternatives
Zahia El-Masri, Labour 4 Palestine
Amir Khadir, Former MNA of Québec solidaire
Marc-Édouard Joubert, Conseil régional FTQ Montréal métropolitain
Amélie Nguyen, Centre international de solidarité ouvrière (CISO)
Amel Zaazaa, Observatoire pour la justice migrante
Patrizia Vinci, feminist and community activist
Roger Rashi, activist
Laurence Guénette, Ligue des droits et libertés
Bertrand Guibord, Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain (CSN)

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Photo Credit: Dominic Morissette