Historians, First Nations leader question Quebec history museum concept

Premier Legault was forced to defend comments he made which he suggested the province's history began with the arrival of French explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain.

The Quebec government’s framing of a new museum to be dedicated to the history of the Québécois nation is raising questions about how history is told and who it includes, two historians and the leader of a prominent First Nations group say.

Premier François Legault was forced last week to defend comments he made in April about the opening of a new history museum, in which he suggested the province’s history began with the arrival of French explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain in the 16th and 17th centuries.

While he did highlight the presence of Indigenous people on Quebec’s territory in his speech, he was accused by the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador of trying to erase their history.

Steven High, a history professor at Concordia University, said the premier’s comments are a reminder that history is a political subject that raises tough questions.

“Whose history are we going to centre? Is that a triumphal history or one of tragedy? Where does history begin, who’s included and who’s excluded?” he said in a phone interview.

“In Quebec, this has always been bound up in certain questions in terms of the national question.”

In response to the criticism, Legault told reporters the new Musée national de l’histoire du Québec, set to open in 2026, will focus on the history of the French-speaking Québécois nation. “The idea is to show the history of the nation that was French-Canadian and now Québécois, that started with Champlain,” he said in Quebec City on Wednesday, adding the museum would not exclude Indigenous people.

In his initial April 25 announcement about the museum, Legault also said he hoped the $92 million project would inspire pride in Quebecers through exhibits celebrating artists such as Céline Dion and Les Cowboys Fringants, as well as authors, sporting heroes and business successes.