Ariane Roy’s Félix Award Answer Sparks a Scathing Cultural Debate

Ariane Roy’s response to a question about the name of Quebec’s Félix awards has become a target of sharp criticism from columnist Sophie Durocher. In a piece about a Radio-Canada Instagram street interview with young musicians, Durocher said she was stunned that some artists who had already won Félix trophies did not know the story behind the name. Asked why the ADISQ trophy is called a Félix, Roy reportedly answered, “I don’t know, do you?” After the interviewer supplied the explanation, Roy smiled and said she had not known it was named in honour of Félix Leclerc. Durocher highlighted the contrast with Roy’s own connection to the songwriter: Roy received the Félix-Leclerc Prize for chanson in 2023 and performed at Espace Félix-Leclerc on Île d’Orléans in June 2025. The column also recounts answers from other musicians in the clip. Shah Frank, who won a 2025 Félix for R&B/Soul Album of the Year, said she did not know the answer and then made a light-hearted remark about the shape of the trophy. Josiane, identified in the article as the 2020 winner of La Voix and an Eurovision selection finalist, also said she did not know. Durocher noted that several artists, including Éléonore Lagacé, Les Louanges and Lou-Adriane Cassidy, did know about Leclerc and his place in Quebec’s musical heritage. Durocher’s criticism was not limited to Roy. She took issue with another participant describing Leclerc as a Quebec writer and author who also has a highway named after him, then made a pointed comparison with René Lévesque. Her broader complaint, according to the column, was that artists should know more about the cultural figures whose names are attached to major honours and landmarks. The article frames the clip as a troubling sign of gaps in knowledge about Quebec history and culture. Roy’s surprise at the answer is presented as especially striking given her previous award and performance venue named for Leclerc, while the column gives credit to those who used the interview to speak positively about his legacy.