Parti Quebecois cabinet minister Jean-Francois Lisee sat down with Mutsumi Takahashi to speak about his new role reaching out to the English community in Quebec.

“I’m not your typical Pequiste,” said Lisee, MNA for Rosemont, who told Takahashi he was not surprised to be given the role by Premier Pauline Marois, because he has been a vocal defender of Anglophones.



Lisee said that being a staunch supporter of the independence movement and the French language, he expects skepticism from the Anglophone community, but hopes to work toward “reciprocal empathy.”

“Identity politics are worthy politics,” said Lisee, adding that the English-speaking Montreal Anglo community has its own identity, and that it is worth maintaining.

“We have to say our project for generations to come is a secure French majority, a secure English minority, and a secure First Nations,” said Lisee, adding that language issues should not amount to a zero-sum game.

“If we want to ensure the linguistic security of Francophones, there are things we must do to ensure the linguistic security of Anglophones, certainly,” he said. "No one wants to swallow the other."