Fête du Canada MTL

A full week has already flown by since our virtual Canada Day 2020 celebrations! We want to take a minute to thank all of you for tuning in, as well as our talented artists, Charlotte Cardin, Hubert Lenoir, Patrick Watson, Elisapie, Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwrightl for giving us such a wonderful show. Enjoy a few behind-the-scenes pictures, and stay tuned for a full making-of later this week. See you next year! Photos: Dominick Gravel

Here is the last installement from our series in collaboration with Portraits de/of Montréal. Enjoy! "Leave your life for a completely unknown place, my parents did it. They came from Haiti in the 70’s and were able to make a living here in spite of certain challenges linked, among other things, to the experience of immigration. Both were state workers. In their life they spent more time in Montreal than in Haiti. They had children here; my two brothers and I. I got an exce...llent education. I was able - and I continue to be able - to fulfill myself professionally. I’m fortunate to contribute to my society. So for us, the fact of citizenship is not even a question. Citizenship is, in a way, your contribution to your environment, and for me it’s clear. It’s in the eyes of others that it sometimes becomes a questioning. I was born in Montreal, I grew up here. And for me, taking into account the inequalities that remain a fundamental issue, it’s the closest city to successfully experiment interculturalism that would be desirable for the whole country. Trying to reconcile all the complexity of Canada’s foundations asks of us to be curious about the issue of Native people. To be curious about the relationships between French-Canadians and English-Canadians of the time, and how it translates today, especially through challenges, but also phenomenas like the bilingualism. To be curious about the history of black people, of racialized people in the larger sense, and of immigration. We’re talking about different interests, which sometimes meet and diverge, but above all we’re talking about humans! It’s no small thing that the gastronomic experience is so rich in Montreal for example. There’s something fascinating about this possibility of getting to know people of different origins through cooking. And not just the juxtaposition of origins, but also the mixing. Even if it remains a questioning when I look at the magnitude of the challenges so that all people have a chance to blossom, I think there are few places in the world where I could experience this. And I really think that it’s through culture that we will achieve an inclusive society. It’s a fundamental starting point, because it reaches the hearts of people." Fabrice V.

Les célébrations ne s'arrêtent pas ici! Rendez-vous sur la page de Patrimoine canadien pour les détails! Celebrations are not over! Head over to Canadian Heritage's page for all the details!

Despite the global pandemic, our teams worked super hard to bring you a memorable party! See you tonight at 7 p.m. for the great unveiling! Photos: Dominick Gravel