Parc-Extension and Montréal-Nord, two Montreal neighborhoods known for their rich multicultural fabric, are rarely in the spotlight when it comes time to celebrate the national holidays of Quebec and Canada. Both are adorned with different colors on each of these two occasions. La Converse went to delve into the underside of these celebrations and explore the contours of these festivities, which are sometimes blue, sometimes red and white. We wanted to understand the meaning of these holidays for people with an immigration background who live in these neighborhoods and how they appropriate them.
In the middle of the heat of the afternoon, a few days before Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, people are standing in the shade of the trees in Saint-Roch Park, nestled on the edge of Parc-Extension, next to the railway. A train passes by, then the signal alarm sounds. One of the women on site, Rehana, gets a well-deserved breath of fresh air during her dinner hour. She has been living in Quebec for six years and living in the neighborhood with her husband. She appreciates Parc-Extension for its tranquility, the range of activities and the local services. “I really like Parc-Extension, I like Quebec too. I am taking French lessons in William-Hingston. Before, I did not understand French. I don't talk a lot, just a little bit,” she says with a smile and a proud look. “I've improved a lot,” she adds, listing the names of the various teachers to whom she owes her progress.
The 50-year-old, who is originally from South Africa, has been taking French courses at the adult school located a stone's throw from the park for almost two years. Among other things, she has learned some songs from the French and Quebec repertoire, and she listens to television and radio in the language of Molière. However, when we ask her about her participation in Saint John's Day festivities, she does not seem to know what it is about. After a moment of reflection, she said: “I don't know, no. But they explained it to us a bit in our classes,” she said before walking away.
Parc-Extension, a neighborhood that does not celebrate Saint John's Day
In Parc-Extension, unlike most neighborhoods in the city, no citizen group organizes festivities to mark Quebec National Day. The neighborhood, which is distinguished by its cultural mosaic, is one of the most multicultural in Montreal. It is mainly home to the Greek, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshian communities. According to the territorial analysis carried out by Centraide in 2020-2021, it welcomes more newcomers than the Montreal average. In total, 69% of its inhabitants speak a language other than English or French as their mother tongue, and 90% of its residents are first- or second-generation immigrants. Densely populated, it is also one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Canada: according to Centraide, 38% of its population lives on a low income.
In the opinion of the former mayor of the borough of Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension Giuliana Fumagalli, these characteristics should be considered in order to understand the absence of Saint-Jean celebrations in Parc-Extension. “There are structural elements in the neighborhood that mean that people do not necessarily have time. We have Quebecers in the neighborhood — I myself live in the neighborhood — but no one does. It takes someone.”
For the former elected official, the question goes beyond that of the feeling of belonging to the province. She recalls the festivities held in Villeray, the neighboring neighborhood, where immigrant families from Parc-Extension joined the party. “Immigrants are always very ready to celebrate! ” she nudges. However, there is an elephant in the room: the lack of representation of cultural communities in Saint John's Day celebrations. According to Ms. Fumagalli, artists with a migrant background do not appear on stage enough and are not in demand enough to participate in activities. Very close to artists from cultural diversity, she can attest to the lack of attention that the organizers of the festivities pay to the talents of the borough, despite the fact that they are rooted in Quebec culture. She feels that this is a missed opportunity, because “if you invite them, people will come — people are just waiting for that! ” According to her, it makes you wonder what “you have to do to be a Quebecer”. “The lack of representativeness in the cultural sector is part of the problem. You just have to look at the young people here, there is no shortage of talent. Young people are Montrealers, deeply Montrealers, and they don't see themselves represented,” explains the woman who remains active in her community.
Like her predecessor, the current mayor, Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde, reports that the communities in the neighborhood are indeed celebrating when it comes to celebrating, but that they are more mobilized for the national holidays in their countries of origin. Although it does not come from immigration, she understands that it can be important for people from different diasporas to celebrate their culture surrounded by their own. But also to be able to share it with their host society and the other communities with which they live in order to show their richness. “Such events thus make it possible to strengthen solidarity between communities, in addition to contributing to living together and to make people travel for a day.”
However, Ms. Lavigne-Lalonde underlines that, on a daily basis, once the festivities are over, this cohabitation is compromised by the recent adoption of Bill 96. The latter requires government, municipal and public service employees to serve users in French. “I think that this is really a barrier to inclusion and living together. If we want people to feel welcomed, and then to develop an affinity with the host language, we must first be able to welcome them in a language they understand in order to be able to better communicate, guide them and get them to want to learn French. (...) I am thinking of the parent who must enroll his child in school, or of the adult who wants to receive help to integrate the labor market and who has learned English before immigrating... It's really a challenge.” In the field, she assures that she works with partners to help those who have them. need to overcome the language barrier. “We have no choice”, says the mayor.
Canada Day with Dhols
While nothing is planned for National Day, Parc-Extension is the only neighborhood in Montreal to hold Canada Day celebrations — with the exception of the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough. Next to the Parc metro station, the Place de la Gare is dressed in red and white for the occasion. The event, organized by the Bangladeshi-Canadian National Council, brings together mostly members of the neighborhood's South Asian communities.
Wearing red sweaters and waving flags, women are getting temporary maple leaf tattoos on their cheeks. The children, on the other hand, run and look to the table where a cake is sitting. Further on, men, some of whom are wearing turbans, are busy around the barbecue and preparing plates for the distribution of free meals. Les Dhols and traditional Punjabi music resonates. On the stage set up for the occasion, the musicians take over from the dancers of Bhangra, which in turn are making the increasingly large crowd dance. Unique, the atmosphere skilfully combines the cultural heritage of the communities present with Canadian flavor.
Nandini Gupta, a 17-year-old woman, is taking part in the festivities. She is proud to celebrate Canada Day with her family and community members. She has been living in Quebec for five years. For her, celebrating is a way of showing appreciation to the country that welcomed her. Having had to leave India with her family due to problems that she did not specify, Nandini believes that “the government has helped us a lot in our journey, it has saved us”. It is also for this reason, she says, that members of her community are present. Like many of the residents in the neighborhood, Nandini and her family are waiting for their asylum application to be decided in Canada. She feels that the government can help them again by giving them permanent residence to her and others who participate in Canada Day celebrations. For her, it's an exchange: “We give to Canada, and Canada gives us [in return].”
The young woman, who would like to become a social worker, already supports her community. “I have always volunteered, and I have met all these people. Even if I am in the same situation as them, I try to help them, because they don't speak French. If they need translation, I will do it; especially if it is to help them advance in their journey [...] I see all the efforts they are making. I am very hopeful that everyone will have their papers in the short term.” Despite her confident tone, Nandini says that several families have been deported over the past few months. Although it is time for a party on Place de la Gare, a shadow hangs over families in the neighborhood.
Montreal North and its multitude of blue and white holidays
Montréal-Nord, which is three times more populated than Parc-Extension, is a neighborhood on Montreal Island that rivals the former in terms of cultural diversity. However, when it comes to the June 24 festivities, Montréal-Nord stands out for its multitude of activities, enough to shatter certain preconceived ideas. When asked about the festivities organized by the borough and community partners — the initiative is from the Société d'Histoire et de Généalogie de Montréal-Nord —, Abdelhaq Sari, city councillor of Montréal-Nord, exclaims: “Frankly, I really enjoyed it! There was an extraordinary multicultural presence.” Since being elected in the district of Marie-Clarac in 2017, he does not remember seeing so many immigrants and racialized people joining the party. On the program: two days of activities, with makeup, games, games, fireworks, shows, and a concert by singer Annie Villeneuve in Aimé-Léonard Park. “Seeing people singing your words in chorus is really something. [...] It's really something. [...] It's not your arrival date that makes you a Quebecer more than anyone else.”
The councilor recalls that in addition to the official local holiday, several other activities took place on a smaller scale. For example, the Ash-Shura Cultural Center and the Ahmadiyya Mosque also invited the community to celebrate Saint John's Day.
“Unfortunately, when this kind of activity takes place in Montréal-Nord, nobody is interested in it,” regrets Mr. Sari. Stereotypes about the neighborhood are persistent, especially those concerning young people, which is sure to irritate the counsellor. Despite efforts to boost the leisure offer, Montréal-Nord is still waiting for its sports center, and the lack of facilities is being felt, he recalls. “Young people participate in activities; they are our next generation and we take care of them poorly. A third of the population is young and diverse. But this youth is underserved, that's all,” the counsellor repeats.
Saint John's Day, version Hood
The Hoodstock organization also offered residents of the North-East sector a festive activity by holding the fourth edition of its Festihood. Founded in 2020, the festival was born when Montréal-Nord was the Canadian epicenter of COVID-19. Dalila Awada, the organization's public relations manager, recalls that the morale of the community was at an all-time low, and the atmosphere was “stressful and unpleasant.” “The first objective was really to bring life, to bring joy, and color,” explains the Hoodstock representative. The Festihood takes place every year on the same date, June 24. “The idea is to celebrate Saint-Jean, but with a Hoodstock, Montreal North touch. So, we celebrate diversity, the creativity of local artists, and the solidarity that exists in our sector.
After a successful first edition, the event became an annual event. It took the form of a parade with a moving scene: the parade goes through the streets of Montreal North for an afternoon. The performances are those of local and emerging artists, who sometimes have the opportunity to take their first steps in front of an audience. At the same time, in collaboration with La Tablée des Chefs, Hoodstock distributes meals to residents by drawing on surpluses recovered from restaurants. This year, the parade was cancelled due to the risk of storms, but 10,000 meals were served by the organization's team and a handful of volunteers.
According to our interlocutor, the parade is more accessible than other events. Indeed, mobility and precariousness issues make it easier to go out and party on the street, where residents can participate in the activity from their balconies. “People will not necessarily travel to participate in Saint-Jean activities in other more central neighborhoods or go see major shows; the idea is to offer them, at home, a little something that looks like them.” The idea is to offer them, at home, a little something that looks like them.” residents can enjoy the performances of music groups and traditional dance groups, like those from the Rara Soley training. “It allows them to recognize themselves in more traditional aspects of their culture,” explains Dalila.
A proud Underdog from Montreal North
At the Henri-Bourassa Park Pavilion, on a rainy afternoon, we meet Salomon Loussaint, a resident of Montréal-Nord. His face is calm, he smiles discreetly. Her voice, soft and calm, invites discussion. We quickly understand that he is used to human contact, he who works as a youth leader in local schools. Sitting at the table with two young girls who will start high school next year, Salomon is busy stimulating their brains with the educational game Mots Rapido.
Born in Montreal North to Haitian parents, the 26-year-old young man is well rooted in the neighborhood. He grew up there and never left. However, as far back as he can remember, he never celebrated Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day or Canada Day. “We didn't go to these kinds of parties or events,” he says bluntly. Her parents just weren't up to it. This was the case for a lot of immigrant parents, he said. It stayed with him, especially since he doesn't like big crowds very much. With age, however, Salomon began to break the family tradition by joining Saint John's Day celebrations a few times with friends. “Alone, I rarely go, but if it's with a group of friends, I'm more likely to go,” explains the principal.
When asked if he feels attached to the province or the country, he hesitates for a moment, then answers: “Well, for sure there is, because I was born here. It is also the home of my parents and my grandparents... But there is no more attachment than that. I know that I was born in Quebec, I am a Quebecer yes, but... Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is not a holiday that I am going to celebrate by myself,” he declares, before specifying: “I feel Canadian, but nothing more.”
On the other hand, Salomon says he is very proud to be Haitian. “The older I get, the more I learn about my culture, and the more I learn to be proud of my country [...] It's a way of learning who I am, in a way.” The young man explains how the historical stories surrounding the Haitian Flag Day or the Soup Festival Joumou, a traditional dish served on Independence Day, allowed him to appreciate his heritage more.
Talking about double identity leaves him pensive. He takes the time to choose his words. “I think we have no choice, when we talk about Haitian roots and Quebec roots, to talk about systemic racism... or even about the history of slavery that existed in Quebec.” As a young black man who is a native and resident of Montreal North, labels and stereotypes stick to him. Cliches that he vigorously rejects. “Lately, I have taken great pride in being a black man, in being a black man, in being a black father, in being a black husband.” Active in his community in sports and education since adolescence, Salomon is committed to having a positive impact wherever he goes. He likes to beat the odds and surpass himself, just like the professional athletes Bennedict Mathurin and Luguentz Dort, who come from Montreal North and who are role models for him. About the negative images conveyed about his neighborhood, Salomon exclaims: “I like it, I would say, to be the Underdog ! (...) For me, I think it's important to be proud of where you come from, regardless of the neighborhood. Personally, I am really proud to be from Montreal North,” concludes the man whose belonging to the neighborhood is profound.
Erratum: in the newsletter that mentions this article, we wrote that Nandini Gupta has no status, while she is waiting for the government to consider her family's asylum application.