Collective Experiences Part 1.
The Unity Rally — Montreal: October 27, 1995
Just days from the 2019 federal election vote, I thought it opportune to share a relevant story from our collective past.
If the polls are to be believed, the nationalist Bloc Quebecois appear to have been resurrected this federal election cycle to the dismay of many who like me, believed that a majority of Quebecers had moved on from the idea of separation.
Their revival is a reminder of how democracies are in continual phases of renewal — good and bad. History often repeats itself so it’s important to be vigilant.
Back in the mid- 1990s, the question of Quebec separation was on everyone’s mind across Canada.
The Quebec government was in the hands of the nationalist Parti Quebecois, and the political confrontations with the federal government, led by Prime Minister Jean Chretien, had become very contentious.
A referendum on Quebec separation (from the rest of Canada) had been called for October 30, 1995.
Polling data showed a very close race and so there was a real chance that Quebec could separate. Provincial and federal politicians on the NO side (fighting to keep Quebec in Canada) mobilized for months to do what they could to convince Quebecers to stay in the Canadian federation.
Their efforts would culminate in the organization of the Unity Rally to be held in Montreal a few days prior to the referendum. The NO side was successful in encouraging Canadians from across the country to mobilize and for major corporations to also do their part.
Many organizations jumped in to lend support — airlines, bus companies and Via Rail offered discounted fares for those wanting to travel to Montreal to participate in the rally.
I was one of those that flew from Toronto to join the nearly 100,000 other Canadians at the Place du Canada Square in downtown Montreal.
I was born in Quebec and had lived there until the age of 13 when my family joined the exodus out of the province in response to the nationalist movement, and the repressive language policies that had become law in the province.
As a native French-Canadian, my love for Quebec had never diminished even after nearly 15 years of living in Vancouver and Toronto.
I still had family in Quebec and felt connected culturally to the people and the land. Quebec was part of my Canada. So, I thought it my responsibility to fight to keep Quebec in Canada.
On October 27, 1995, I took the day off from work and headed for Pearson International Airport to catch my flight.
There was a real festive feeling amongst the thousands of other people heading to Montreal for the rally. Everywhere you turned there were groups of people all in red and white, proudly wearing the maple leaf and waving their Canadian flags.
I landed in Montreal just over an hour later and made my way to the rally by taxi — getting off a few blocks away from the Place du Canada on Saint Catherine St.
The streets had been closed off by police and thousands of people were singing “Oh Canada” and chants of “We Love You Quebec, On Vous Aimes Quebec”. It was thrilling.
As I turned the corner off Saint Catherine towards the square, I was struck by the huge size of the crowd. I was so excited to be there and was smiling from ear to ear. Canadians had travelled from all over the country to take part. Waving their provincial flag along with the Canadian and Quebec flags. It was a love fest.
I was able to make my way close to the main stage where politician after politician made speeches — making their best argument as to why Quebecers should vote to stay in Canada.
I remember Jean Charest — the then leader of the Official Opposition at the federal level, who made an impassioned speech to his fellow Quebecers and Canadians. The crowd went crazy.
One of the iconic symbols of the rally was this giant Canadian flag that was passed through the crowd. I remember it hovering over my head as I helped move it along to those beside me. It was an amazing feeling and moment of intense national pride shared with fellow citizens.
And then it was over.
As chance would have it, my brother Chris was also in Montreal on business — at a meeting just blocks away.
We met for a late lunch at Dunn’s Smoke Meat on Saint Catherine (you can’t go to Montreal without eating a smoke meat sandwich) and I excitedly told him all the details of the rally. We could still here the loud sounds of cars honking as rally participants flooded the streets on their way out of downtown.
My brother and I arrived at Dorval Airport (now PE Trudeau Airport) only to find out that there would be long delays as flights had been overbooked.
We settled in at the Maple Leaf Lounge and bumped into my friend Terry-David Mulligan who had come to Montreal to cover the event for MuchMusic. It was great to hear is journalistic perspective of the event.
Many drinks later, Chris and I boarded our plane — which was full of others heading home post the rally. It felt like a party — everyone sharing positive sentiments about their experience and hopeful for a NO vote to come.
For the next three days back in Toronto, I had many conversations with friends and family from all corners of the country about the rally — many asking me if I thought we had made a difference. Was it too little too late?
In my heart I thought it had perhaps moved the needle, but I was nervous that we still may lose.
Out of the more than 4.7M votes, the NO side received 50.58% of the votes- a very small winning margin of only 1.16% but good enough to keep Quebec in the Canadian federation. Most Canadians let out a collective sigh of relief.
It’s impossible to quantify the impact of the Unity Rally on the final vote but I do believe that those of us who made the effort to be there, did help convince some Quebecers to say NO to separation.
Since then, I’ve continued to stand up for Canada — involving myself in civic affairs at the federal, provincial and municipal levels and perhaps even more importantly, in my own community and neighbourhood.
Complacency is the enemy of democracy.
We can’t take anything for granted. The 1995 Quebec Referendum is but one example of how Canada could have changed drastically if the YES vote had prevailed. Who knows what Canada would look like today.
The Unity Rally was an amazing collective experience that brought citizens together from across the country to fight for our Canadian liberal democracy — as imperfect as it may be. It was an extremely important historical moment and I’m glad I was there to be counted.
Please exercise your democratic rights. It matters. Go vote.
Oh Canada.
