François Legault has shoehorned his foot into his mouth, yet again. Last week it was his claim – in response to the growing affordable housing crisis – that the average rent in metropolitan areas in Quebec was $500-$600 a month. This week, it’s his inflexibility on pay raises for public sector workers.

In Quebec, we have an expression “Au Quebec, on syndique!” in other words, “In Quebec we unionize”. We are also in a pandemic where the gap between rich and poor is clearer than ever, and the definition of who counts as an essential worker is all the more obvious as a result.

It therefore came as a slap in the face to those same workers that Legault told government worker unions there is no money left to pay for pay raises. The Quebec government’s current offer to healthcare workers – called “guardian angels” by Legault – is a five percent pay raise over five years with an option for a further three percent if inflation exceeds the amount they’re offering. Higher pay raises are being offered to patient attendants in long-term care homes and first year teachers in an attempt to lure more people to these professions that are facing severe staffing shortages in Quebec.

The unions have said government offers are too little to accept, and Legault’s response is to cite pandemic-related public spending as grounds for the claim that his government cannot offer them more. In an age where unions are more important than ever in the face of mounting corporate greed, his remarks come as particularly insulting when he himself owns a multimillion dollar home in Outremont.

Since Legault’s callous remarks around residential renting costs, his government and the Coaltion Avenir du Quebec has been engaging in damage control. This can be seen in the Premier’s conspicuous absence from the press conference announcing the expansion of eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Every time Legault goes public on financial matters, his wealth and privilege shine through. This is a man who claims that he will do what the majority of Quebeckers want, yet his responses to issues surrounding poverty and people’s value stinks of the arrogance that comes with extreme wealth.

While I have zero interest in saving the Quebec premier’s reputation, I do have a suggestion of how Francois Legault and his party can save his ass from political blunders that have finally alienated their base:

Francois Legault should take a pay cut.

He should accept a reduction in his salary as premier and that amount should go straight into an offer of increased salaries for essential workers. A simple Google search reveals that Legault’s approximate net worth is about ten million dollars, so he clearly doesn’t need the money.

He wants to be a man of the people? He needs to prove it, and he needs to do it now!

Now I could bring up that since Quebec is already facing teaching shortages, suspending Bill 21 would be a fantastic way to attract more staff, but that’s not what this article is about. It’s about the population of Quebec facing mounting financial strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s about nurses, nurses’ aides, and other front line workers fed up with a rich man telling them what they can and cannot afford when they put themselves at risk of contracting the virus while he remains in safety. It’s about the fact that while homelessness is on the rise and buying a home is so far out of reach for most people, he owns a multimillion dollar home.

That said, I believe I speak on behalf of everyone in Quebec when I make this challenge to our illustrious premier:

Are you truly a man of the people? Prove it, Monsieur Legault, take a pay cut.

Hey you! Yes you! Go see these shows this week!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15

UNER + Mayssam @ Habitat

This one’s for all you club kids out there. Winner of best newcomer of the 2013 DJ Awards, Lleida, Spain’s UNER specializes in minimal house and techno with a definitively smooth European flavour. The club scene is really not my thing, and usually when I see the words “minimal house” my mind draws a total blank. That being said, there’s definitely something refreshing about UNER that sets him apart from many of his contemporaries.

When: 10 p.m.
Where: 1248 rue de la Montagne
How much: $25 ($20 pre-sale at Kafein and Atom Heart)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16

MUTANK + Squalor + CroMagnum @ Barfly

Montreal band MUTANK strip away all the superfluous nonsense to give you pure thrash metal at its simplest and punchiest. There could be no better venue to see them in. Ah, the smell of dingy bar sweat and cheap beer. Good times.

When: 9 p.m.
Where: 4062 St-Laurent
How much: $5

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17

Scale the Summit + The Reign of Kindo + JOLLY @ Il Motore

Scale the Summit are touring in support of their fourth album, The Migration, released earlier this year. Their music, as does their name, evokes that tingly feeling you get when you’re about to embark on an adventure. Get there early and catch NYC’s JOLLY.

When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: 179 Jean-Talon o.
How much: $15

For all of Montreal’s fans of beat-making, hip-hop, R&B, house, and electronic music, it would be unwise to be anywhere but Le Belmont this Friday. The 25-year-old English producer Lapalux will be performing as part of a month-long North American tour, bringing his boundary-pushing yet accessible brand of music to Montreal for a rare appearance that is surely not to be missed.

Born Stuart Howard, the Essex native is riding momentum from his debut album Nostalchic, released earlier this year on Flying LotusBrainfeeder record label. Lapalux’s music defies simple categorization, being all at once somber, soulful, abstract, unsettling, and beautiful.

 

There is an undeniable sense of care and thought that goes into every note in Lapalux’s repertoire, and listening to his music can incite deep self-reflection. Without complex lyrical content, he urges the listeners to look inward and speculate about life, love, and dance.

Lapalux’s atmospheric soundscapes capture the solemnity and heart of every day life and their constant intersections. These themes are put on display in the recent short film Chrysalis by Nick Rutter which is scored by Lapalux.

 

Compared with other artists of similar styles, Lapalux stands alone as one whose music carries a distinct weight. It is not simply party music, though it will make you move. Each song voices a statement, even if it is heard through our subconscious. Simply put, this is music that must be heard.

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Lapalux will be playing at Le Belmont Friday, September 13, and will be supported by Construct, Bus, and Sibian & Faun.