Andre Boisclair reflects on his new career
The Concordian talks to former PQ leader about teaching, sovereignty
Francois Lemieux
Issue date: 2/5/08 Section: News
Is coming to Concordia a sign that you're no longer a sovereigntist?
What are you getting at?
Well, I don't know, a lot of people say that a sovereigntist might have rather chosen to go to Universite de Montréal or UQÀM to teach.
Why is that?
Well. Because they're French universities.
Are you defending the principle of segregation sir?
No, I'm not.
If you're a sovereigntist, you're not entitled to go to Concordia or to McGill or whatever?
No, I'm just saying that they're anglophone universities and…
Universities are about ideas and debate.
Okay, well usually anglophones have voted at 95 per cent in favour of "No" in referendums, so I was …
And what's your point?
Well. I was just asking …
I believe in free speech sir. Universities are places that are open to ideals and open to debate. The question is, will it be a great experience for the students? I think it will be. We have great discussions in class and I think that the students will be happy to have face to face discussions with me, Mr. Parisella and Mr. Goldblum, who is giving the class with us.
The sovereigntist movement is at a stalemate right now. In the eighties, it took the Meech Lake Accord crisis to revive it. What do you think it will take nowadays?
I don't comment on politics anymore. I leave politics out of the classroom.
Without commenting on politics, do you think that returning to politics one day could be a possibility?
I'm out of politics sir. That's my objective right now. I've given more than 17 years to politics. I think I've done my personal contribution to politics.
You were talking about crisis management before. What was the greatest crisis you had to face in your life?
Well, I've been through different crises. The basic idea of crisis management is about leadership issues and how to exercise leadership, how do you intervene in a group? That was my main focus at Harvard and that is what I'll be teaching to the students in the class.
Universities are crucially under-funded in Quebec. What needs to be done to address the problem?
I was always a supporter of more important public funding. I support the same idea. That's the idea I tried to debate during the electoral campaign. Education should be the priority for Quebec.
Do you believe that free education is viable?
In our days?
Yes.
Well all depends on the conditions under which it would be installed. I think that students need to make a contribution in a form or another.
What are you getting at?
Well, I don't know, a lot of people say that a sovereigntist might have rather chosen to go to Universite de Montréal or UQÀM to teach.
Why is that?
Well. Because they're French universities.
Are you defending the principle of segregation sir?
No, I'm not.
If you're a sovereigntist, you're not entitled to go to Concordia or to McGill or whatever?
No, I'm just saying that they're anglophone universities and…
Universities are about ideas and debate.
Okay, well usually anglophones have voted at 95 per cent in favour of "No" in referendums, so I was …
And what's your point?
Well. I was just asking …
I believe in free speech sir. Universities are places that are open to ideals and open to debate. The question is, will it be a great experience for the students? I think it will be. We have great discussions in class and I think that the students will be happy to have face to face discussions with me, Mr. Parisella and Mr. Goldblum, who is giving the class with us.
The sovereigntist movement is at a stalemate right now. In the eighties, it took the Meech Lake Accord crisis to revive it. What do you think it will take nowadays?
I don't comment on politics anymore. I leave politics out of the classroom.
Without commenting on politics, do you think that returning to politics one day could be a possibility?
I'm out of politics sir. That's my objective right now. I've given more than 17 years to politics. I think I've done my personal contribution to politics.
You were talking about crisis management before. What was the greatest crisis you had to face in your life?
Well, I've been through different crises. The basic idea of crisis management is about leadership issues and how to exercise leadership, how do you intervene in a group? That was my main focus at Harvard and that is what I'll be teaching to the students in the class.
Universities are crucially under-funded in Quebec. What needs to be done to address the problem?
I was always a supporter of more important public funding. I support the same idea. That's the idea I tried to debate during the electoral campaign. Education should be the priority for Quebec.
Do you believe that free education is viable?
In our days?
Yes.
Well all depends on the conditions under which it would be installed. I think that students need to make a contribution in a form or another.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
McGill
posted 2/14/08 @ 6:45 PM EST
A perfect example of how to conduct an interview.
coen
coen sickinghe
posted 2/29/08 @ 11:13 PM EST
Mr Boisclair dealt with a difficult period of leaving the PQ in third place, with the worst electoral score since 1970, struggling with an image of former coke-snorting politician who took no pride in being gay,an image enhanced with hear-say SM sex parties. (Continued…)
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