Campaigning for a Quebec team, but taking for Canada tonight: the contradiction of the day

Today is a big day. Canada and the United States will face off in the final of the Four Nations tournament in Boston.

No, the TD Garden is not the Centre Bell, and no, the buzz south of the border, which is better protected since we have a fentanyl tsar, is not as high as the buzz north of it.

But we don’t really care, do we? We don’t need others to get excited about something that matters to us as proud Canadians…

Who will win? If Canada can take its revenge and win on enemy territory, it will win the tournament. And it will bring great pleasure to Sidney Crosby, who knows he won’t win anything this year with the Penguins…

Except that if Canada loses again tonight, it will have suffered two defeats in just a few days against the Americans, despite having Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid on its roster. We will question again the non-selections of Mark Scheifele, Logan Thompson, Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Tom Wilson, Mackenzie Blackwood, and many others…

Like we did after the last two world junior championships…

I’m damned excited for 8 pm tonight.

My prediction: Canada 4 – United States 3. And two bad goals from Jordan Binnington…

Team Quebec in all this? Something happened in Quebec yesterday: the Parti Quebecois tabled a motion in the National Assembly aimed at recognizing the existence of a Team Quebec in hockey, our new national sport.

The motion was rejected.

I have no problem with the lobbying by the very sympathetic gang from the Team Quebec Foundation, which is very active on social networks. We must all defend our values and convictions with respect. This is an important principle to me.

But the fact that the Parti Quebecois decided to get involved 36 hours before the big Canada vs United States final, I found it petty. #PettyPolitics

You will have understood that I am against the creation of such a team at the very high level.

Having a Team Quebec in younger age groups, up to M15 or M18, is no problem. Having our best players play with and against our best players will always be a yes…

But deciding not to send our best Quebec players to play for Team Canada in M20 or with the adults because they must play for Team Quebec, I buy less.

And giving players like Samuel Montembeault or Alexis Joseph the choice to opt for Canada or Quebec soon, even less!

Until proven otherwise, Quebec is not a country.

Non-sovereign nations that have a national team, especially in soccer, all have a context that justifies it. I don’t see the same justification here in Quebec, in terms of hockey…

After that, the Maritimes will want their team, the West will want theirs, and only Ontario will be left to fill Team Canada?

Am I outraged to see our Canadian teams go to the World Juniors or the Four Nations with very few Quebecers? No, because I don’t see a mega injustice. Which Quebec players could have made the team but didn’t because of their Quebec origins, according to you?

(Silence)

I prefer that we tackle the reasons for the recent difficulties in Quebec hockey rather than suggesting simplistic solutions to complex problems.

The costs… the coaching… the dilution of talent in several leagues when school comes into play…

But please, let’s not create a Team Quebec because we are unable to consistently make the team of our country, Canada.

Where am I going with my skates this morning? If you’ve been loudly demanding a Team Quebec since yesterday morning, I hope you won’t watch the Canada vs United States game with a red jersey.

The two don’t go well together.

If you are for the creation of a Quebec team to compete in these high-level international competitions, it’s because you are de facto against Quebec’s participation in the Canadian team. Advocating for the creation of Team Quebec is rejecting Quebec’s participation in Team Canada. Advocating for a Quebec team to compete with the Canadian team is detaching from the concept of the Canadian team. Think about it…

So, as a Quebecker who rejects the Canadian team, please don’t take Team Canada tonight.

Otherwise, it would be like going out with Marie but having a crush on Alyssa… and waiting for Alyssa to reveal her love before leaving Marie. It’s not how it works. Or how it should work, at least. Leave Marie if you don’t love her anymore, and then try to build something with Alyssa.

And don’t tell me that you remain a fan of Team Canada because the Quebec you love so much is part of it: there won’t be a single Quebecer in uniform tonight. Respect your principles and don’t support Canada if you don’t believe in Canada. Appreciate the spectacle in a neutral way.

Finally, I want to salute the person who wrote to me on X that they would be cheering for the Americans tonight because they don’t like Canada. You’re at the top of the nonsense pyramid today.

I love Quebec, of course… even if I have to admit that since COVID-19, I’ve been disappointed in our core values. Let’s say that the way Quebec responded to the pandemic – unlike other places in the world – made me think a lot about our Quebec values.

I’ve always been a center-right guy who, for the past five years, has been seen as a far-right pariah just because I don’t have the same thinking as what we hear every day in Montreal media. Maybe I’m not docile enough, as Genevieve would say?

But anyway, I’m getting a bit off topic here.

Long live Quebec – free or not – and long live Quebec teams… until M15 or M18, hehe.

My final word: let’s stop looking for reasons to divide ourselves. Let’s come together. Tonight, I’ll be gathering with my Quebec friends behind my country, Canada.

Note that I totally respect the opinion of those who want a Team Quebec; I just say that it’s incompatible with supporting Canada tonight.

I know that humans are contradictory beings, but we must still point out these contradictions when they arise.

In life, we must be consistent with our values and convictions.

Prolongation: I respect the opinion of those who want a Team Quebec; I just say that it’s incompatible with supporting Canada tonight.

I know that humans are contradictory beings, but we must still point out these contradictions when they arise.

In life, we must be consistent with our values and convictions.