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The municipal political landscape is changing rapidly. From Villeray to Pointe-Saint-Charles, via Rosemont and Côte-des-Neiges, several racialized candidates from various backgrounds are taking their first steps in politics, hoping to lend their voice to the demands of the communities they represent.
What prompted them to embark on this adventure? We are discussing it with four of them.
Nafija Rahman's career gradually led her to become involved politically. Curious, in 2017 she participated in a program to encourage women from diverse backgrounds to go into politics. A year after this training, followed by Projet Montréal, an opposition party at the time, the councillor of her borough, Sophie Thiébault, let her know that she should try her luck in the following elections. “Knowing myself, with the headscarf and everything, what happened with Bill 21, I knew it would be difficult, admits Nafija Rahman. As an ally and mentor, [Sophie Thiébault] was able to convince me that I should take a chance.”
That's when Nafija experienced what she believes to be the challenge of being a veiled Muslim woman in politics. “The debate over my headscarf at Projet Montréal meant that it didn't work out,” she said in dismay. However, Raphaëlle Rinfret-Pilon, executive director of Projet Montréal, rejects this allegation: she says that there was a problem with her residential address.
Nevertheless, Nafija Rahman was very interested in politics. When she saw Balarama Holness start her own party, she did not hesitate to jump on the adventure.
“That was it, the best choice for me,” she says, smiling. She therefore decided to run as a borough councillor in the South-West for Mouvement Montréal.
“Deserved” diversity
For Ericka Alneus, it is clear that some “systemic” obstacles may be part of her journey. Nevertheless, the woman who has lived in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie for over 10 years decided that this was the right year to enter politics. She explains that she chose this level of government for its “proximity.” “I am interested in people, and the municipal allows me to maintain this connection and to work with people's noble woods,” explains the candidate from the Eastern Townships. Ericka has great ambitions for the mandate she is seeking by running for Projet Montréal.
“I think we can change the system from within. I think you have to understand the system to change it, and my strength is in that,” she says confidently. Maybe [I can] look at the system differently.” She bases her aspirations on her past professional experiences.
“I've often joined teams, professionally and on boards, and it's like, 'OK, what do we do with this? How do we improve it? How do we locate it — for whom and why?” ” The graduate in philanthropic management is delighted with the plurality of candidates running in these elections. “Diversity does justice to the reality in which our societies evolve and grow,” she believes. She starts from the current health crisis to imagine a more inclusive future. “Diversity leads to a better assessment of certain risks or issues. [...] I think we deserve to have this diversity that will give us the tools to deal with the crises that are coming.”
Like a coffee
The municipal elections on November 6 and 7 also mark the first steps in politics for Mariem Mathlouthi, a candidate for the position of city councillor in Villeray for the new Quartiers Montréal party. She sees her role in politics as an extension of the role she plays in her neighborhood as a coffee shop owner. “We are very involved in the community. We ensure that, when associations want to raise funds, they turn to us. It has become a bit of a vocation for me in relation to the community,” explains the Tunisian businesswoman in front of the business she founded three years ago.
What triggered her and prompted her to enter politics? “I never thought of being a politician.
[Talking to people around me], I was told, 'If you are not interested in politics, you are the right candidate, because you are going to represent the good things and the real things of the people around you who live in the same community as you. '”
That's when she decided to launch herself alongside a “very outspoken and down-to-earth” person, the mayor of her borough and founder of Quartiers Montréal, Giuliana Fumagalli. Mariem Mathlouthi recalls the impression the mayor made on her when they first met. “The first vision I had was that you can have real people with real empathy who listen to citizens, and they are politicians in addition,” she explains. All that was needed to convince her to join the ranks of Quartiers Montréal.
In front of the spotlights
Stéphanie Valenzuela never thought that she would run as a candidate in elections. “Growing up, I saw a lot of politicians presenting their platforms, but I never saw politicians who looked like me,” she said right off the bat during our interview. Although she later studied political science, she saw herself simply acting as an advisor and working with elected officials to put policies in place. After her studies, she worked for a humanitarian organization in Mexico for four years.
It was when she returned to Montreal that she understood that, “yes, it is important to act internationally, but there is a lot of work to do here too, at the local level, at the level of my community.” She therefore began a community involvement that has continued to flourish ever since in organizations in the neighborhood where she has always lived: Côte-des-Neiges. Through her involvement, she was able to see people's needs at the forefront. “We talk about services, we talk about the lack of investments, we talk about support to [help young people] at school, to do their homework, to find an apartment in the neighborhood. When you hear this kind of thing, you say to yourself, “What can I do to improve the situation?” ” All that was needed for her to join the Ensemble Montréal team and to run as city councillor in the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.
Alluding to her Filipino origins, she welcomes the opportunity to offer her community a place at the decision-making table. “You can't say to yourself that your opinion is not being taken into account if you don't show up. If we don't take the chance to show up, how are we going to be able to really be integrated into the system, here in Montreal? ”