Montreal’s 34th Canada Day parade a huge success...

But where were the politicians?

By P.A. Sévigny

Even as tens of thousands of people poured into the city to watch this year’s massive Canada Day parade, Montreal’s Mayor Gérald Tremblay decided he had better things to do on Canada Day than help the city celebrate the nation’s 144th birthday. While many considered the mayor’s absence to be politically insensitive,  others were quick to notice he wasn’t the only one who missed the big parade. Apart from city executive committee members Alan DeSousa and Mary Deros, Liberal MNA Justin Trudeau seemed to be the only Canadian politician in the city’s political establishment who was willing to meet and greet ordinary Canadians during their national holiday celebrations.

“It’s a shame,” said visibly outraged Park Avenue businessman Gabriel Ghassan. “It’s nothing less than a damn shame.”

After Ghassan noticed how every one of Provincial Premier Jean Charest’s Montreal ministers stayed home, he quickly noticed how there wasn’t even a single one of the province’s West Island Liberals to be seen on the parade’s reviewing stand. And apart from Charest’s absent Liberals, it wasn’t long before Ghassan and other observers realized how not even a single one of NDP leader Jack Layton’s newly elected MPs bothered to show up for the city’s Canada Day parade.

When asked about their absence, Justin Trudeau just shrugged and shook his head

“They don’t get it,” said Trudeau as parents kept lining up to ask him to pose for photographs with their children. “They just don’t get it.”
While some were willing to pass the NDP’s absence as nothing more than an example of political inexperience, others were quite upset.

“What’s their problem?” said Ghassan who was visibly outraged by the NDP’s abject lack of manners and political sensitivity. “You would think these guys would have some kind of respect for the people who elected them not to mention how the country is now paying them more than they ever could have ever earned only a few weeks ago.”

But even if most of the city’s political establishment decided to ignore the Canada Day festivities, Ghassan and thousands of others were determined to enjoy the city’s 34th consecutive Canada Day parade.

Late last Friday morning, city workers began to put up crowd barriers as thousands of people began to form a crowd along the city’s usual Ste. Catherine Street parade route. Just as the SPVM cavalry began to make its way down the street, the RCMP’s marching unit set the tone for the parade even as the Royal Highland Regiment’s pipe band began to play “Scotland the Brave.”

“Oh look, Mummy,” said one little boy. “Here they come!”

And he was right because that was just the beginning of what turned into another one of the city’s big Canada Day parades.

“Take a look around you,” said Ghassan with only a hint of pride about his own successful business. “This is the real face of Montreal. These are the people who build this city and these are the people who know how lucky they are to be Canadians.”

Ghassan was right. As dozens of floats followed the marching Mounties, the parade’s line-up quickly turned into a picture-perfect reflection of the city’s demographic realities. Verdun’s Royal Canadian Legion was well represented and the crowd gave both Anthony Bruce and Carson Gabriel a big cheer as they proudly carried the legion’s colors down Ste. Catherine Street. Other floats included The Irish of Montreal followed by Miss Teen Quebec who was having a great time as she was being driven down the street in a big flashy convertible. Young Irish dancers were followed by the Elgin Pipes & Drums Corps after which the Chateauguay Irish Queen’s float preceded the Ukraine on Parade. While most of the city’s popular radio stations staked their claims to their share of the city’s popular culture, the Kimbanguiste African Band set the multi-cultural tone for the rest of the parade. Jimmy Chang’s dragon boat caused a big sensation after which Montreal’s Hungarian Community made a point of thanking the city and its people for their kind hospitality for taking them in after the post-war Hungarian revolution.. Club Gourmand’s two cars were followed by the Indonesian Association of Quebec, the Council of Canadians and the Polish-Canadian Congress. After the Wushu Martial Arts Academy received a big hand as some of their members made a few moves in front of sidewalk collective, Les Éclairs du Québec once again proved why they’re always counted among the best of the marching bands in the province. By now the crowd was at least three to four people deep along the street and there were lots of mothers wearing hijabs who were looking out for the kids while pushing a baby carriage. A lot of them had tiny Canadian flags sticking out of their headscarves and everybody cheered when the Iraqi-Canadian float made its way down the street. While there were dozens of more floats, everybody agreed how all of the city’s various Filipino Associations deserved a big place in the parade. Finally, the Falun Dafa’s marching band brought up the rear after which an SPVM cruiser with its flashing lights signaled the parade was over.

As Fiona And Shannon Marlow began to sing O Canada, Ghassan looked around and told The Suburban how these were the people who were part of the country’s backbone.

“A lot of these people fought hard to get here,” said Ghassan. “They know what it takes to build a life in this country and that’s why they’re the backbone of the nation.”

As there were few politicians at the event, there were few, (if any) speeches and before long, hundreds of children (along with their parents) began to line up outside the parade organization’s tent as Trudeau, DeSousa, Deros and others began to hand out pieces of a massive vanilla birthday cake that looked like a Canadian flag with all its red and white icing.

“You see,” said Ghassan. “At least these guys [Trudeau, DeSousa and Deros] know what they’re doing….They don’t have a problem hanging around so they can give a little kid a piece of cake in the park during a national holiday.”

And as for next year, Ghassan told The Suburban he wants to see none other than Jack Layton himself handing out plates full of cake to little kids on Canada Day.