In the days since the Queen’s death, current Premier Francois Legault – who is currently on the campaign trail ahead of the October 3 election – has faced questions about whether the province should now abolish the post of lieutenant governor, as well as criticism from the Parti Québécois for lowering the Quebec flag to half-staff in honor of the late queen.
The Quebec media made tributes to the monarch and flashbacks about a riot during her visit to Quebec City in 1964, which became known as the “Saturday of the Sabbath.”
The majority of Quebecers do not take kindly to the monarchy for historical reasons as well as their support for democracy, said Gérard Bouchard, a historian and sociologist who teaches at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.
“In Quebec, this seems to be a remnant of a colonial era that we thought was gone,” he said in an interview.  “In Quebec, the majority of people would say, ‘we don’t know why this is going on in Canada and we don’t know why this was imposed on us in Quebec.’
While Quebecers may revere the late queen as a person, the monarchy brings back memories of the British conquest of New France and British colonial rule in French-speaking Canada, said Bouchard, who studies national myths.
The idea that the head of state is a European monarch runs counter to Quebecers’ ideas of democracy, he said, adding that opposition to the monarchy is stronger in Quebec among federalists and anglophones than in other parts of Canada.
It was the history of colonialism that Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon seized upon as he defended his criticism of Legault’s decision to take down the Quebec flag.
The monarchy was imposed on the people of Quebec by conquest, he said, while the provincial flag, known as the fleurdelisé, represents both the right of Quebecers to exist as a people and the province’s democracy.
“We cannot overlook that he represented an institution, the British crown, that has caused significant harm to the people of Quebec and to indigenous nations,” he told reporters.
The expulsion of the Acadians, the execution of the leaders of the Patriot Rebellion in 1839 and, more recently, the repatriation of the constitution without Quebec’s consent were all done in the name of the British crown, he said.
Legault, who accused St-Pierre Plamondon of “petty politics,” faced questions from reporters who wondered if Quebec would use the opportunity to rid itself of the lieutenant governor’s post.
Legault said he knows there have been calls to replace the lieutenant governor, but noted it is not one of his priorities if re-elected.
Quebec has already reduced the lieutenant-governor’s visibility.  Unlike the other provinces and the federal government, where legislative sessions open with a speech from the throne delivered by the monarch’s representative, in Quebec the opening speech is delivered by the prime minister.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault signs the book of condolence dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, witnessed by Quebec Lieutenant Governor Michel Doyon and wife Isabelle Brais in Quebec City, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022. CANADIAN PRESS / Karoline Boucher But it’s not just in Quebec where the monarchy’s popularity has waned, said Benoît Pelletier, a constitutional law professor at the University of Ottawa and a former cabinet minister in Jean Charest’s Quebec Liberal government. In English-speaking Canada, he argued, support for the monarchy is also in decline. “I think in the coming months there will be a debate about the future of the constitutional monarchy,” he said, adding that he expected it would eventually lead to a referendum on the issue. Pelletier said he believes changing the Canadian constitution to abolish the monarchy would be possible as long as the negotiations do not attempt to address other constitutional issues. However, he personally supports the monarchy. “I think the system is working well at the moment and as they say in English, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said. But it is possible, he said, to incorporate an elected head of state into a parliamentary system, as was done in Barbados when it became a republic in 2021. While there have been expressions of republicanism in Quebec’s history, it would be a mistake to conclude that Quebec has always rejected the monarchy, said Marc Sevrier, a political science professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal. After the conquest, Quebec’s French-speaking elites rallied around British institutions, including the monarchy, he said. There have also been attempts to associate the British royal family with the glory of the old French monarchy, he said, noting that Quebec’s flag references French royal symbols. Unlike independence movements in places like Ireland, which have been strongly associated with republicanism, the Parti Québécois never promoted such beliefs when in power, he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 11, 2022.