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Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, the executive director of the Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec, says the museum will ask visitors to weigh in on the Quebec nation. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\nWhat does it mean to be a Quebecer? When did the Quebec nation begin? Does it even exist?<\/p>\n
Quebec\u2019s new $105-million history museum won\u2019t provide definitive answers. Instead, its inaugural exhibition will invite visitors to weigh in on those questions, The Gazette has learned.<\/p>\n
The Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s approach marks a departure from the more celebratory vision Fran\u00e7ois Legault outlined when the then-premier announced the project in 2024. <\/p>\n
The initiative immediately sparked controversy, particularly over the place of Indigenous Peoples and non-francophones in the museum\u2019s vision of Quebec history.<\/p>\n
The former premier described the Quebec City museum as a place that would \u201ccelebrate\u201d Quebec\u2019s national story, saying he hoped visitors would \u201cleave feeling proud of their history.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that is not how museum executive director Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin describes the mission of the Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec, also known as \u201cle NAT.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cPride is not one of the museum\u2019s objectives,\u201d he said in an interview.<\/p>\n
Visitors help shape the debate<\/p>\n
Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, the executive director of the Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec, says the museum will ask visitors to weigh in on the Quebec nation. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
Rather than present a single narrative, the museum will explore competing understandings of Quebec identity and belonging, Pedneaud-Jobin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt what point do we really become Quebecers? That\u2019s not an easy question to answer, and I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s necessary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do know is that we\u2019re Quebecers today, and we\u2019re exploring the roots of what the Quebec nation is today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The museum, which had been expected to open this fall, now says it can no longer guarantee a 2026 opening.<\/p>\n
For the first 18 to 24 months of its existence, the museum\u2019s main exhibition, titled Faire nation, will essentially serve as a public consultation, Pedneaud-Jobin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of trying to provide answers to these highly complex questions, we decided to open them up for discussion and put them to visitors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Visitors will be invited to offer their perspectives on questions such as who belongs to the Quebec nation and when people become Quebecers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome may even argue that the Quebec nation does not exist,\u201d Pedneaud-Jobin said.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cOthers may say that it does exist, but that it flourishes within Canada and that Quebec identity is inseparable from Canadian identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The feedback collected will be used in later exhibits.<\/p>\n
The idea that Quebec forms a nation has long crossed political party lines. In 2003, the National Assembly unanimously affirmed that \u201cthe Quebec people form a nation.\u201d Three years later, Stephen Harper\u2019s federal Conservative government recognized that \u201cthe Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois form a nation within a united Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Museum won\u2019t ignore \u2018darker chapters\u2019<\/p>\n
The institution will not gloss over Quebec history, Pedneaud-Jobin said.<\/p>\n
Quebec women were among the last in North America to get the right to vote, and the province\u2019s relations with Indigenous Peoples have at times been difficult, he noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, there are bright moments in our history that will generate pride, but there are also dark moments, and the NAT will be interested in both,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can learn from the past, and it would be a mistake to ignore darker chapters. There are positive aspects and there are negative aspects, but it\u2019s always interesting. I want to help people better understand Quebec\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n
A nationalist museum?<\/p>\n
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Fran\u00e7ois Legault sparked controversy when he announced the creation of the museum in 2024. Pierre Obendrauf \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
Questions have been raised about whether the museum will be politicized or nationalistic.<\/p>\n
Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe has said he personally chose Pedneaud-Jobin for the $175,000-per-year executive director job, describing him as \u201ca man of conviction and a great nationalist.\u201d <\/p>\n
A former mayor of Gatineau, Pedneaud-Jobin previously worked for sovereignist parties and was once mentioned as a possible Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois candidate. He is the son-in-law of former PQ premier Bernard Landry.<\/p>\n
Historian \u00c9ric B\u00e9dard, a key adviser to the museum, was a speechwriter for Legault when the future premier was a PQ MNA and education minister.<\/p>\n
Pedneaud-Jobin\u2019s qualifications to lead a history museum have also been questioned. He has degrees in political science and regional development, but no background in history or museum studies, according to his official biography.<\/p>\n
But Pedneaud-Jobin said there is no reason for concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we do will be public, so people will be able to judge whether we\u2019re cutting corners or taking a heavily ideological approach,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we are, it will become apparent pretty quickly because everything we do is public.\u201d<\/p>\n
The museum has \u201cscientific committees that review everything we do, and we have a team that works very collaboratively,\u201d Pedneaud-Jobin said.<\/p>\n
The museum says it has consulted 77 experts, including historians, archivists, museum specialists and researchers from a variety of disciplines.<\/p>\n
That will help \u201ckeep us from descending into partisanship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Did the history of the Quebec nation begin with French explorer Samuel de Champlain? Jean Levac \/ Postmedia<\/p>\n
The unveiling of plans for the museum ignited a debate.<\/p>\n
At the time, Legault emphasized that the museum would be about the Quebec nation, which he said began \u201cwith the explorers, Jacques Cartier and then Samuel de Champlain, who is the founder of our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lacombe, meanwhile, said the history of the Quebec nation is distinct from that of First Nations and Inuit history. And B\u00e9dard said: \u201cPerhaps the Indigenous people are a bit like the prehistory of Quebec.\u201d<\/p>\n
Legault also said the museum should focus on \u201cthe nation that was French-Canadian and is now Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois\u201d and cited only francophones when listing great Quebecers to highlight. Asked specifically about anglophones, he replied: \u201cI see a place for people like Leonard Cohen; they are part of our history.\u201d<\/p>\n
The remarks triggered an outcry. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis narrow nationalism does not represent Quebec history; it omits entire sections for political reasons,\u201d said Ghislain Picard, then chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, representing 43 chiefs.<\/p>\n
Patrick Donovan and Lorraine O\u2019Donnell of the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network told the government the museum\u2019s depiction of anglophones should not be \u201csolely through the prism of the francophone majority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Internal documents obtained by The Gazette suggest the museum took the Indigenous criticism to heart.<\/p>\n
![\"Muse\u00b4e](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/musee-national-de-l-histoire-du-quebec-2_304963505-1.jpg\")
Artist rendering of an exhibit at the Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec. Source: Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n
The documents show museum officials specifically sought outside expertise to ensure Indigenous perspectives would be reflected in the project\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
To help gather Indigenous viewpoints, the museum consulted the Coop Nitaskinan, an Indigenous co-operative, and a historian who specializes in Indigenous history.<\/p>\n
However, the documents do not indicate the museum seeking comparable outside expertise regarding anglophones, allophones or immigrants during the planning process.<\/p>\n
Pedneaud-Jobin drew a distinction between Indigenous nations and other communities.<\/p>\n
He noted that the law governing the museum stipulates that it \u201cmust acknowledge the contribution of Indigenous nations to the development of the Quebec nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have a somewhat unique status as they are distinct nations. They therefore have their place almost everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether anglophones, immigrants and allophones form part of the Quebec nation, Pedneaud-Jobin replied: \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d He said those groups would be included within the museum\u2019s historical narrative rather than treated as separate categories.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe anglophone community has played an important role in almost every era\u201d of Quebec history, he said, adding it would also be \u201cimpossible to tell the story of Quebec without talking about the waves of immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n
The museum chose experts in various fields \u2014 from hockey to the evolution of childhood \u2014 not based on the language they speak, but rather on their expertise.<\/p>\n
Anglophones sit on the museum\u2019s scientific committee, Pedneaud-Jobin noted \u2014 but they were chosen because of their credentials, not to represent English-speakers.<\/p>\n
Rigorous history promised<\/p>\n
![\"Muse\u00b4e](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/musee-national-de-l-histoire-du-quebec-1_304963503-1.jpg\")
Artist rendering of an exhibit at the Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec. Source: Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n
Pedneaud-Jobin said the goal is \u201cto tell the most complete history possible. Our objective is to produce rigorous history, not to make sure we\u2019ve included a certain number of communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Pedneaud-Jobin, the museum\u2019s role is less about telling Quebecers what to think than encouraging them to reflect on the society they inhabit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had to describe what I hope visitors feel when they leave,\u201d he said, \u201cit would be a sense of rootedness, a feeling that this society is worth understanding, that they want to be part of it, and contribute to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project at a glance<\/p>\n
The museum will feature a mix of exhibits and online content, according to internal documents obtained by The Gazette.<\/p>\n
Among the topics to be covered:<\/p>\n
Hockey: The \u201csociological importance\u201d of the sport in Quebec, and heroes, including locals, \u201cadopted Quebecers\u201d and those who left to make it big elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Food: Traditional dishes from Quebec\u2019s 17 regions.<\/p>\n
Music: A multimedia look at Quebec\u2019s \u201cfestivalomanie\u201d and the proliferation of music festivals.<\/p>\n
Prominent figures: One hundred people who shaped Quebec.<\/p>\n
Dreamers: Twelve individuals or groups who dreamed big and left their mark.<\/p>\n
Childhood: The evolution of attitudes toward children.<\/p>\n
Descriptors: Terms used over centuries to identify the population of present-day Quebec, such as French-Canadian and Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois.<\/p>\n
Last names: 125 surnames that reflect Quebec\u2019s changing population since New France.<\/p>\n
Evolution of Quebec: The emergence and evolution of the Quebec nation.<\/p>\n
Institutions: Distinct Quebec institutions, from Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec and caisses populaires to the subsidized daycare and CEGEP networks.<\/p>\n
Historic site<\/p>\n
The museum will be located in the Camille-Roy wing of the historic S\u00e9minaire de Qu\u00e9bec in Quebec City.<\/p>\n
Constructed in the 1850s and topped by a Christian cross, the heritage building once housed Universit\u00e9 Laval, the first French-language university in North America.<\/p>\n
The museum will span six storeys, with about 4,000 square metres of exhibition space.<\/p>\n
Price tag skyrocketed<\/p>\n
![\"Logo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/logo-for-the-musee-national-de-l-histoire-du-quebec_304962915-1.jpg\"){kind=logo}
Logo for the Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec, which will be known as \u201cle NAT.\u201d Source: Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n
The cost of the extensive renovations and inaugural exhibits is estimated at $105 million, more than double the original estimate.<\/p>\n
The museum\u2019s annual budget is projected at $12 million.<\/p>\n
Quebec already has history museums<\/p>\n
The Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 des mus\u00e9es du Qu\u00e9bec lists 143 museums devoted to history, archeology and society across the province.<\/p>\n
Critics have pointed out that the new museum will be about 100 metres from the Mus\u00e9e de la civilisation. Its mandate already includes interpreting Quebec history and culture.<\/p>\n
Supporters argue the new museum differs because its mandate is to tell the history of the Quebec nation.<\/p>\n
The museum\u2019s history<\/p>\n
June 2021: Then-premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault announces Espaces bleus, a $259-million network of 17 museums about Quebec culture and history.<\/p>\n March 2024: Legault scraps the plan after the estimated price tag reaches $1 billion.<\/p>\n April 2024: Legault announces the Mus\u00e9e national de l\u2019histoire du Qu\u00e9bec, slated to open in spring 2026.<\/p>\n May 2024: Indigenous leaders criticize comments by Legault, Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe and historian \u00c9ric B\u00e9dard about the place of Indigenous history.<\/p>\n Fall 2024: National Assembly hearings are held on the museum. Indigenous and anglophone groups raise concerns.<\/p>\n September 2025: Quebec says the museum will open on June 24, 2026.<\/p>\n April 2026: The opening is postponed until \u201cthe end of fall 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n June 2026: The museum announces it will be known as \u201cle NAT.\u201d<\/p>\n August 2026: The museum tells The Gazette it can no longer guarantee a 2026 opening, citing technical challenges related to installing a modern museum in a heritage building.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n The Gazette\u2019s On Quebec Politics newsletter by Andy Riga breaks down key election issues, from polling shifts to legislative manoeuvring to ideas circulating in francophone commentary that don\u2019t make it into English-language coverage.<\/p>\n![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788954977_627_Untitled-9.png\")
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