Quebecers say ‘non merci’ to Manitoba’s attempt to woo them

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This article was published 26/07/2022 (1506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Tory government’s attempt at wooing religious Quebecers made national news in 2019, but documents show the ad campaign yielded only 33 inquiries, leaving the NDP to call it an exploitative waste of money.

In 2019, the Quebec legislature passed Bill 21, a secularism law that bans hijabs and other “ostentatious” religious symbols among senior public-sector workers, such as teachers, judges and police officers.

Former premier Brian Pallister was among the most critical of the law. In fall 2019, his government spent $20,000 to place ads in a Quebec newspaper and online, touting “21 reasons why you will feel at home in Manitoba.” He said it would help fill gaps in Manitoba’s public service that require French, while taking a stand against bigotry.

The ad annoyed his Quebec counterpart and that province’s tabloid press, while radio shows poked fun of Manitoba’s mosquitoes and extreme weather.

In January 2020, the Free Press made a freedom of information request for the emails received by the address set as part of the campaign. The request languished for 30 months in Manitoba’s backlogged system that is meant to ensure transparency.

This week, the Civil Service Commission revealed it received 33 emails through the campaign, but said the content contained too much private information to share.

The Opposition NDP said the ads were a waste of money.

“They were investing those resources into recruiting public servants from another jurisdiction, when they had fired hundreds of public servants right here in Manitoba,” said MLA Uzoma Asagwara.

The NDP health critic also accused the former premier of “exploiting the harm of Bill 21, in an attempt to recruit people to Manitoba,” arguing there were less cheeky ways of welcoming minorities and calling out Islamophobia.

“The way that they went about it almost made light of the seriousness of Bill 21 and the significant harm it was causing.”

Premier Heather Stefanson’s office noted Manitoba was the first province to speak out against the bill, and all parties in the legislature endorsed a government motion that indirectly condemned Bill 21.

“The number of emails inquiries should not be the only criteria used to make a judgement on the success of the campaign,” wrote spokeswoman Olivia Billson.

“Manitoba has a long and proud history of welcoming people from around the world to build a life that is free and full of hope and opportunity.”

Previously, The Canadian Press obtained a report the Manitoba government had commissioned about the campaign. American media-monitoring company Critical Mention found more than 6.6 million people heard about the ad, generating about $200,000 worth of publicly, or 10 times the actual cost of the campaign.

Last month, Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said he had instructed his department to prepare a request to intervene if a challenge to Bill 21 reaches the Supreme Court, which is widely expected.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca