The resignation of François Legault closes a chapter that shaped Jewish life in Quebec more than many people like to admit. His years in office were not defined by overt hostility toward Jews. They were defined by something quieter and in some ways more lasting. The normalization of exclusion in the name of neutrality.
Under the Coalition Avenir Québec, Jewish institutions largely experienced stability. Funding was predictable. Security concerns were acknowledged, if often behind closed doors. There was a sense that the government knew we existed and was willing to talk.
But that same government also drew clear lines around where visible Jews belonged and where they did not.
Bill 21 was defended relentlessly by Legault as reasonable, neutral and reflective of Quebec values. For many Jews, especially those whose Jewishness is worn openly, the message was simpler. You can live here. You can vote here. But certain careers and certain spaces are not for you.
No mass firings followed, there were no dramatic showdowns. Instead, there was something more insidious; a quiet narrowing of opportunity and a sense that religious differences were tolerated, but only when it stayed out of sight.
Legault never seemed particularly troubled by that reality. When Jewish leaders raised concerns, they were acknowledged politely and dismissed just as politely. The law was popular. That was the end of the discussion.
Now Legault is stepping aside and nothing really changes except the atmosphere.
With the Parti Québécois gaining momentum, many Jews feel a familiar unease. The PQ has long framed Quebec identity in ways that leave minorities wondering where exactly they fit. English speaking Jews feel this especially sharply. Language politics are never abstract when your community already exists on the margins of provincial power.
A PQ government would not automatically be worse than the CAQ. In some ways it might be more honest. Clear lines are easier to respond to than polite indifference. But it would almost certainly reopen debates about secularism and identity that Jews have spent years navigating carefully, often defensively.
There is also another possibility, without Legault personally anchoring the consensus around secularism laws, Quebec politics may loosen. Maybe not dramatically, maybe not quickly, but enough to allow for small adjustments and quieter shifts that were impossible under his watch.
For Jewish organizations, this moment requires focus. Relationships will need to be built. Security concerns in a post October 7 world cannot be assumed to be understood. They will need to be restated plainly and without euphemism.
Legault’s departure is a reminder that political comfort is temporary and inclusion is fragile. When a government decides that exclusion is acceptable if it is evenly applied, minorities are always the first to feel it. The next government must decide whether that logic continues.
Quebec’s Jews will be watching closely because experience has taught us that neutrality is rarely neutral and silence is never protection.
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