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By Georges Buscemi (Quebec Life Coalition) — Photo: Augustin Hamilton

We are often reminded that we live under a so-called "liberal" regime, that is, a system founded upon "fundamental freedoms": freedom of religion, assembly, and expression. In Quebec, this liberalism is supposed to be protected by the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, adopted 50 years ago. Whether or not we agree with all its principles, in theory, we should be living under this rule of law.

However, the reality experienced during our March for Life on May 31, 2025, clearly demonstrates otherwise. If we truly had the right to peacefully demonstrate and freely express ourselves in the public square, the police would not have allowed a group of counter-protesters to intimidate us and drown out our speeches with whistles, shouting, and smoke from smoke devices. Nor would they have tolerated repeated disruptions of our march, nor permitted hostile agitators to infiltrate and openly violate our right to peaceful assembly.

Logically, the police should have intervened decisively to restore order. Acting firmly against these counter-protesters would not have violated their rights, for anyone actively working to deny the rights of others forfeits the right to complain when prevented from causing harm. A thief cannot seriously cry injustice when stopped from committing further theft.

In the specific case of these militant groups, often inspired by the paramilitary left-wing "antifa" movement, their declared objective was precisely to derail our march and prevent our pro-life dinner at the Delta Hotel, which indeed was cancelled due to their threats. Their evident goal was to deprive peaceful citizens of their fundamental rights. Therefore, it was the police's duty to neutralize them. Yet this was not done, and we must seriously question the reasons behind this inertia.

Regarding this issue, I am planning to soon send a letter which I have addressed to François Bonnardel, the Minister of Public Security. I hope to meet with him or one of his representatives to ask directly this question: "Mr. Minister, why did the police not protect our right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly? Are you complicit with these militant groups who unofficially carry out what your government could not officially assume, namely the suppression of opinions contrary to the dominant narrative?"

Because let us be clear: the real problem does not lie with these small feminist groups and idle students whose thinking has been shaped by a university network steeped in Marxist ideology. The real problem is the existence of a complacent state, perhaps even secretly pleased, to see these antifa militias perform the dirty work it could not undertake without risking national and international condemnation.

Speaking of international matters, we recently prepared a comprehensive report on the repression faced by believers and pro-life advocates in Quebec and Canada in recent years, including the incidents during the 2025 Quebec March. This document will soon be sent to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who earlier this year strongly denounced violations of the freedoms of expression and religion in Europe and Great Britain, explicitly mentioning cases of persecution against pro-life individuals. This report will shortly be published on our website and, hopefully, on other media platforms as well.

Our movement for faith, family, and life in Quebec and Canada is not defeated. Whether there will be a March for Life in 2026, and what form it will take, essentially depends on the responses we receive from Quebec authorities. If these authorities demonstrate their commitment to guaranteeing our fundamental rights, without necessarily sharing all our convictions, if they pledge to investigate the threats received by the Delta Hotel and the violence against our march, and if a clear message is sent to civil society affirming that this type of aggression will no longer be tolerated, then we will have the "green light" and the necessary security to organize a third march.

Let us keep our heads held high, continue to vigorously defend the lives of the most vulnerable, promote the faith that strengthens us, and protect the family — the foundational unit of a viable and livable society.

For Life,
Georges Buscemi