Parti Québécois does not believe it has alienated Quebec singer Paul Piché

Parti Quebecois MNA Pascal Berube responds to reporters questions at a news conference at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, right, looks on. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

The Parti Québécois (PQ) does not believe it has alienated singer Paul Piché, who has demanded an apology.

“You think we’ve lost Paul Piché? You’re making quite an assumption,” said Matane-Matapédia MNA Pascal Bérubé at a press briefing at the National Assembly on Friday.

Piché -- a long-time sovereignist -- asked PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, through the Journal de Québec, to apologize for accusing part of the cultural community of “intellectual vacuity” and “aplaventrisme” (servility) towards Ottawa.

He said he believed the PQ leader had been “wrong in his approach,” even though he did not think he was entirely wrong in thinking that cultural sector spokespersons could have shown restraint in welcoming the arrival of the new federal Minister of Culture, Marc Miller.

In addition to the leaders of the cultural community, whom he considers disloyal, St-Pierre Plamondon also targeted Radio-Canada and universities, which he believes submit to “ideological dogmas” by accepting federal money.

However, St-Pierre Plamondon “says what he thinks,” argued Bérubé.

“He’s not boring, because he says what he thinks and stands by it. (...) Perhaps you would like him to apologize, (...) but no. He stands by his words, and so do we,” he said.

When asked about the possibility that the PQ, which is being criticized from all sides in this affair, might lose support, Bérubé pointed to the results of the most recent Léger/Québecor poll, which suggest that the PQ would form a majority government.

“You know we have quite a few people following us, right? There are quite a few people who would envy a political party that, with six MNAs, (...) is getting 39 per cent of the vote in Quebec. (...) Quebecers (...) think we’re doing things right,” he said.

Bérubé specifically endorsed St-Pierre Plamondon’s comments regarding Radio-Canada, “which has a mandate for Canadian unity,” and research chairs, which must operate according to “pan-Canadian” objectives.

“The academic world is discussing this, saying, ‘We must adapt to Canadian objectives.’ It’s well known, but everyone is playing along, saying, ‘We want to work, we’ll adjust the objectives, the grants are available for that.’

“I think we all need to reflect on Quebec culture, its funding, the objectives of the Canadian system, and what that means. And you know what? Quite a few artists agree with that,” he concluded.

PSPP expresses remorse

At the end of the morning, St-Pierre Plamondon posted a message on Facebook in which he expressed remorse.

“Formally, I know that some artists felt personally targeted by my comments. (...) I am deeply sorry if my reaction (...) could have been perceived as a criticism of the entire cultural community. That is sincerely not what I think,” he wrote.

“Fundamentally, the cultural community’s dependence on federal government funding and the federal government’s language, immigration and cultural policies are not conducive to the sustainability of our culture,” he added.

In his message, the PQ leader referred to a meeting he had had with the leaders of the Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma (SARTEC).

“Our discussions were very constructive, and we agreed to work together on something essential: finding the best public policies for the future of Quebec culture.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 5, 2025.