Quebec union condemns 'racist' social media activity from local executive

A Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) flag is seen in Ottawa, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A Montreal union official is in hot water after reportedly sharing social media content CUPE-Quebec called “racist” and “inexplicable.”

TVA Nouvelles reported Wednesday that newly-elected local executive Gaétan Archambault had shared “racist” content on social media in August last year.

In one instance, according to the outlet, he shared a post from another page, Parlons Independence d’un Quebec LIBRE, saying HEC Montreal was “rolling out the carpet to fundamentalist Islam.” In another, he reportedly reposted a spoof poster of Snow White, with the subtitle “non-racialized snow." Under that was the director’s name: “Woke Disney.”

"The person involved will apologize and will undergo training to learn about issues related to racism,” wrote CUPE 301 Union President Jean-Pierre Lauzon in a press release which did not name Archambault. 

CTV could not independently confirm the allegations. The alleged Facebook posts which appear in TVA Nouvelles were not visible on Archambault’s profile, and may have been removed.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante also reacted to the report, calling Archambault ‘s alleged comments “totally unacceptable.”

“We must all work together to fight against racism and discrimination,” she wrote.

Ces propos sont totalement inacceptables et n’ont pas leur place dans notre société. L’administration, le politique et le syndicat: on doit tous travailler ensemble pour lutter contre le racisme et les discriminations #polmtl https://t.co/8F9d6M9N9W

— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) May 5, 2023

CTV News reached out to Archambault but did not receive an immediate response. He reportedly refused to provide a statement to TVA, but said he had no problem with Islam.