Embody the revival of Quebec independence: this is the wish of a group of young people who are reclaiming the national holiday. Through art and celebration, they hope to dust off a social project that they still consider relevant.

On June 24, 2021, police officers put an end to the national holiday that young sovereignists had organized at Laurier Park in Montreal, for lack of a permit for their generator. This year, as in 2022, nothing can put an end to the celebration: everything will be done according to the rules under the torch of the United Organizations for the Independence of Quebec (OUI Quebec). The organizing committee, which had managed to bring together more than 500 people last year, is evolving autonomously so that young people represent an integral part of the independence project, explains Camille Goyette-Gingras, president of the organization.

“We celebrate Quebec, but we also celebrate a social project,” said Alex Valiquette, one of the instigators of the party. For the members of the organization who are also involved individually for different political parties, there is no question of hiding the independence character of their June 24 festivities. This is a moment to show “what young people want for the future of Quebec,” says the 22-year-old. He wants “a committed, politicized national holiday”, unlike those organized across the province.

Sonalie Hénault, who is also co-organizer and who works in the music industry, thought it would be difficult to recruit artists who would like to appear in such a clearly independentist event. To his surprise, there was only one refusal. The question did not actually arise for Justin Boisclair (Bkay), member of LaF. The Quebec rap group will be there alongside Lysandre (Radio-Canada revelation 2022-2023), Jam Khalil (big winner of the first televised rap competition La fin des weak on Télé-Québec), the group Oui Merci, Banitsa as well as Charlotte Brousseau.

“We have chemistry with the YES Quebec movement,” says Justin Boisclair, even though LaF has no guidelines for Quebec sovereignty. Art plays a big role in the process of reclaiming the independence project, believe the organizers. It is with a little magic that they hope to revive the dream of a country, but above all of a unifying social project.

Florence Labelle, co-organizer of the party at Laurier Park, will be present to “give meaning to her art”. She would like the national holiday to “sow” the desire for a commitment to the sovereignist cause among artists, decrying the impersonal nature of the major national holidays that take place on major stages in Quebec. The involvement of the organizing members in the emerging music community motivated the choice of LaF to come to the Laurier Park stage for June 24th. “These are also people who promote Quebec music,” illustrates Justin Boisclair.

The party at Laurier Park is one of the attempts at innovation in which the OUI Québec are embarking in order to reach those who are often presented as disinterested, indicates Camille Goyette-Gingras. According to the president, we have to do things differently than the political parties, which often offer the same activities each year with the same core group of convinced people. “We are free from the trauma of 95”, she laughs, which allows new generations to think differently about the independence project.

A revival of the sovereignty movement implies a redefinition of the issues that are at the heart of the project, such as the fight against climate change. For Alex Valiquette, an independent Quebec will have to be based on strong ecological foundations. If a reflection on the relationship to the territory is not initiated, “it is our collective identity that collapses”, believes the sovereignist activist. It is not a project that can be realized without integrating the self-determination of First Nations “to build a new society free from colonialism”, he adds.

The young activists admit to meeting people reluctant to their project, who associate it with Bill 21 and the debates on immigration quotas.

According to Florence Labelle, the cause must be allowed to redefine itself by integrating new considerations: “You are not going to boycott the entire feminist movement, for example, because it evolves over time. And “there is nothing more inclusive than building a new country,” says Alex Valiquette.

Justin Boisclair, of LaF, is joined by “the redefinition of what Quebec identity is in 2023” proposed by OUI Quebec, where inclusion has a central place. For the organizers, a political vision that goes beyond day-to-day management and comes out of partisanship is necessary. “There’s something revolutionary about partying,” believes Alex Valiquette.