Quebec On The Move / Quebec en Mouvement

Summary

The video script details the experiences of various community organizers in Montreal, Quebec, highlighting their involvement in social movements like healthcare, housing, and legal rights. It discusses the establishment of community centers, the impact of language on activism, and the importance of collaboration and consultation in building strong social movements. Personal narratives from organizers, including a co-founder of a community project and a retired railroad worker involved in the Chinese Canadian redress movement, underscore the challenges and successes in advocating for change.

Takeaways

• 🏠 The T del Fuego is a community resource center in Lennoxville that has evolved into a hub for community engagement and learning.
• 🌟 The speaker was involved in various social movements including healthcare, anti-poverty, and legal rights, highlighting the interconnectedness of community issues.
• 👥 Montreal's租房者占比高达80%, making housing a central issue for social movements in the city.
• 👵 The speaker's work in healthcare, particularly with the elderly and those needing home care, led to their involvement in organizing a significant nonprofit rooming house project.
• 🌱 The Lennoxville District Women's Center was established to support English-speaking women, especially those experiencing domestic violence and needing services in a French-dominant region.
• 🛤️ The speaker's involvement with the Chinese Canadian community included leadership roles in redress committees, reflecting a commitment to historical justice and community empowerment.
• 📊 The Belmar commission was a response to community mobilization against racial injustice and police brutality, leading to a report that acknowledged systemic issues.
• 🏭 The speaker advocated for worker rights, especially for those in dangerous working conditions, through unionization and education.
• 🌐 International connections were fostered to support labor rights, showing the global nature of social justice movements.
• 🌈 The script discusses the importance of community building through consultation and shared vision, emphasizing the role of consensus in social movements.
• 🗣️ Language and cultural differences are highlighted as both challenges and strengths in the Quebec context, affecting how social movements are organized and perceived.

Q & A

What was the T del Fuego project in Lennoxville?

The T del Fuego was a community project in Lennoxville that served as a resource center, common house, and a source for community engagement, learning, and positive social experiences.

How did the speaker become involved in healthcare movements and housing projects?

The speaker was involved in healthcare movements and housing projects due to their work in the healthcare sector, specifically with elderly people who needed home care and often lived in rooming houses.

What was the Middleton Park project, and what role did the speaker play in it?

The Middleton Park project was a significant nonprofit rooming house project in the city. The speaker was the resource person and organizer, helping to make it one of the largest of its kind.

Why was the Lennoxville District Women's Center established?

The Lennoxville District Women's Center was established to provide support to English-speaking women, particularly those experiencing domestic violence or needing to access services without speaking French.

How did the speaker contribute to the Chinese Canadian redress movement?

The speaker contributed by serving as the chairman of the M redress committee, Vice chair of the National redress committee, and co-chair of the Chinese Canadian redress Alliance, which helped regroup organizations across various Canadian cities.

What was the Belmar commission, and why was it significant?

The Belmar commission was established to study the relationship between young black youth and the police in Quebec. It was significant because it led to the Belmar report, which highlighted the issues and contributed to the community's mobilization for change.

How did the speaker's work with unions in Trinidad influence the labor sector in Quebec?

The speaker helped internationalize the thought process of workers in Quebec by making connections with unions in Trinidad, which led to workers standing up for their rights and improving working conditions.

What was the role of the Quebec women's movement in raising consciousness about gender issues?

The Quebec women's movement played a significant role in raising consciousness about gender issues by spearheading the movement that spread worldwide, encouraging people to become aware of the issues and promoting change.

How did the speaker's involvement in the Bread and Roses women's march impact their perspective on activism?

The speaker's involvement in the Bread and Roses women's march provided a total immersion experience into the Quebec women's movement, opening their eyes to the strength of the network of women's organizations and the importance of community engagement.

What challenges do social movements in Quebec face in terms of language and cultural differences?

Social movements in Quebec face challenges due to language barriers and cultural differences, which can lead to a lack of understanding between anglophone and francophone communities, as well as between different minority groups.

What advice does the speaker have for those engaging in community work and activism?

The speaker advises those engaging in community work and activism to understand their involvement as part of a long-term struggle, to build respectful and effective relationships, and to engage in the political process to have a voice in their community.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Community Building and Advocacy in Lennoxville

The speaker reflects on their role as a co-founder of the T del Fuego, a community resource center in Lennoxville. Over the years, it evolved into a hub for community engagement, learning, and positive social experiences. The speaker's involvement in healthcare, particularly with home care for the elderly and chronically ill, positioned them well for organizing a significant nonprofit rooming house project in Montreal. They also discuss their involvement with the Lennoxville District Women's Center, which supports English-speaking women facing domestic violence and other challenges. The narrative highlights the importance of community organizing and the intersection of various social movements.

05:00

🌟 Impactful Activism and Community Mobilization

The speaker discusses their experience with community mobilization in response to the Anthony Griffin case, where a lack of legal accountability led to organized protests and the formation of the Belmar commission to study the relationship between young black youth and the police. The narrative also touches on the speaker's work in labor rights, particularly with workers from Gaspé who faced hazardous working conditions. Through union support and education, they helped improve conditions and raise awareness about workers' rights. The speaker emphasizes the importance of community consultation and collaboration in building strong social movements.

10:01

🌐 Bridging Cultural and Linguistic Divides in Activism

The speaker highlights the importance of consultation and collaboration in community building, particularly within the francophone community in Quebec. They reflect on their experiences as an anglophone in Quebec, noting the challenges and the importance of language in political engagement. The narrative discusses the speaker's involvement in various social movements, including the Quebec women's movement, and the cultural shock experienced when engaging with different communities. The speaker also addresses the disconnect between social movements in Quebec and the rest of North America, emphasizing the need for a broader understanding and collaboration across linguistic and cultural lines.

15:02

🌱 Nurturing Grassroots Activism and Building Alliances

The speaker shares insights on the importance of grassroots activism and the challenges faced by minority communities within Quebec. They discuss the need for tolerance and understanding among different linguistic and cultural groups, and the importance of involving immigrants and other minority communities in social and political struggles. The narrative also touches on the speaker's dream of an alliance between different communities, emphasizing the shared struggles and the potential strength in unity. Advice is offered for those involved in community work, focusing on long-term engagement, self-care, and the importance of building respectful and effective relationships within activism.

Keywords

💡Community Project

A community project refers to an initiative that is developed and managed by members of a community to address specific needs or to improve the quality of life within that community. In the video, the co-founder discusses the T del Fuego project in Lennoxville, which serves as a community resource center and a common house, fostering community engagement and learning.

💡Social Movements

Social movements are organized efforts by groups of people to bring about social, political, or environmental change. The script mentions various movements such as healthcare, anti-poverty, and legal rights movements, indicating the video's focus on collective action for societal improvement.

💡Housing

Housing is a central theme in the video, particularly in the context of Montreal, where 80% of the population rents. The discussion on housing reflects the video's exploration of urban issues and the role of social movements in advocating for better living conditions.

💡Home Care

Home care is a type of healthcare service provided to individuals in their homes, often for the elderly or those with chronic illnesses. The speaker's work in the healthcare sector, specifically with home care, highlights the video's emphasis on the intersection of healthcare and community needs.

💡Nonprofit

A nonprofit organization is a group that operates for a social cause and reinvests its earnings back into the organization rather than paying out to owners or shareholders. The video mentions the largest nonprofit rooming house project, illustrating the role of nonprofits in addressing housing issues.

💡Grassroots

Grassroots refers to the most basic level of an activity, organization, or movement, often driven by ordinary people rather than by officials or leaders. The video discusses grassroots efforts in establishing support centers and social movements, emphasizing the importance of community-led initiatives.

💡Redress Movement

Redress movements seek to address historical injustices or wrongs, often through formal apologies, compensation, or policy changes. The script mentions the Chinese Canadian redress movement, indicating the video's focus on historical justice and community advocacy.

💡Labor Rights

Labor rights are the rights of workers to fair treatment, safe working conditions, and the ability to organize and bargain collectively. The video discusses labor rights in the context of Quebec, highlighting the video's theme of workers' struggles and advocacy.

💡Feminism

Feminism is a social and political movement advocating for gender equality and the rights of women. The video references the women's movement in Quebec, showing the video's engagement with gender issues and the empowerment of women.

💡Cultural Identity

Cultural identity refers to an individual's sense of belonging to a particular cultural group, often shaped by shared history, language, and traditions. The video discusses cultural identity in the context of Quebec, where language and culture are central to the province's identity and political discourse.

💡Activism

Activism involves the vigorous action or advocacy in support of a cause or against harmful policies or practices. The video features individuals engaged in various forms of activism, from housing rights to women's rights, demonstrating the video's focus on social change through active participation.

Highlights

The T del Fuego project in Lennoxville serves as a community resource center and common house.

The project has evolved into a source for community engagement and positive social experiences.

Individuals involved in healthcare, clinic, anti-poverty, and legal rights movements are part of the same community.

Montreal's focus on housing due to 80% of the population being renters.

The speaker's work in healthcare, particularly with the elderly and those needing home care, influenced their community involvement.

Middleton Park Project's focus on organizing a large nonprofit rooming house project.

The speaker's role as a resource person and organizer in the community.

The Lennoxville District Women's Center was established to support English-speaking women facing domestic violence and accessing services.

The importance of community consultation and collaboration in building a shared vision for social movements.

The Chinese Canadian redress movement's efforts to address historical injustices.

The impact of the Belmar commission on studying the relationship between young black youth and the police.

The challenges faced by workers in Quebec, particularly in terms of safety and working conditions.

The role of unions in advocating for workers' rights in Quebec.

The influence of Quebec's women's movement on raising consciousness and promoting change.

The linguistic and cultural differences between francophone and anglophone communities in Quebec.

The importance of engaging in the political process and participating in community events for social change.

The speaker's experience with the Quebec women's movement and the March de la femme.

The challenges of language and cultural barriers in social movements within Quebec and the rest of Canada.

The need for collaboration between different linguistic and cultural groups for stronger social movements.

Advice for community organizers to think long-term and maintain healthy relationships within activism.

Transcripts

[Music]

I was co-founder of a community Project

based in lennoxville called the T del

Fuego which is a kind of community

resource center and

um common house and slowly over the

years it

became uh it's still in existence um and

it has

become a kind of source uh for to find

community and to

um

learn uh different things and have um

positive social EXP experiences the same

people were to some degree were involved

in say Healthcare movements or clinic

movements and he and and and uh

anti-poverty movements and legal rights

movements are all sort of the same gang

who would be involved in housing

Montreal is also a city of renters right

at that time you have 80% of the

population is renting so if you're going

to have a social movement in around

questions of Housing and Urban it's

going to focus on housing and uh given

my work I was working in the healthcare

sector at that point but I I was working

in the neighborhood and I was working

more specifically with people who needed

home care and that was a population that

was elderly and had a lot of chronic

illnesses so being in the neighborhood I

I was in daily contact with that group

of people who a lot of them who lived in

rooming houses and then when the

middlton park project starts um then I I

uh I apply for the for the job and I to

some degree I'm well suited because I

know the neighborhood I know the people

and then I end up as the as the person

who help helps organize probably and

remains probably the largest nonprofit

rooming house project in the city okay

and I was I was the the the the the Su I

was the resource person in the organizer

in 1980/81 around then so very much the

same juncture it was just when I had

recently moved to lennoxville I wanted

to feel part of the community I was

stretching uh my wings and um there was

a group of women who wanted to to

establish a center that would Pro

provide all kinds of support to

English-speaking women Grassroots people

from the Township's Community they felt

english- speaking women need a hand when

they are experiencing domestic violence

when they want to access services and

they don't speak French and they phone

the government of Quebec so I jumped on

that I thought that was amazing great

great great project and uh it wasn't me

who dreamt it up but I was in with the

women who started it up and that was the

Lennox villan District women Center

which is thriving to the St as and as

you know when you came to the to that

region in the '90s you got involved and

made a huge impact on the Women's

[Music]

Center I used to work for the railroad

in the fine tradition of uh Chinese

Canadians uh but now I'm retired I was

the uh the chairman of the uh M redress

committee I was the uh Vice chair in the

National redress committee and I was

also the co-chair of the Chinese

Canadian redress Alliance which uh was

later formed to regroup uh organizations

in Halifax Montreal Toronto Quebec City

uh Winnipeg Edmonton and out in

Vancouver I think we we probably had a

strong redress movement Quebec due to

the

individuals uh that were

participating uh there was meu there was

Walter Tom there was Jack Le people

involved with the Chinese Canadian

Community leaders in the in the

community uh that was myself was able to

offer my organizational skills we did

get the support of the block

bequa and I think their support was more

in opposition to the government but

nevertheless uh it was I think it was

quite significant that we had this

strong movement here in

[Music]

Quebec at the

time the community got mobilized to

really um answer to that um we met with

the parents of Anthony Griffin who hired

a lawyer to be able to um defend the

situation unfortunately Alan gasset um

was

um freed and um not accused of uh murder

and they said that could be an accident

or whatever and that wasn't taken um by

us so um there were a lot of U

manifestations going on that were

organized to be able to protest a lot of

protest to be able to do that to some

extent I think the people who are more

um um less emotional or looking more

towards having a solution to something

the Belmar commission came in to really

study the situation and study the the

the the relationship between young black

youth and the police so in 88 we're

going to get the Belmar report which

will give you an idea of what the

situation was the mobilization was able

to um get us to be able to GE ourselves

to some things and the community

answered in the sense that um the

politics answered also they created the

BMA commission they did that they did

the study and they came up with the

results and says okay there's definitely

a problem

there because in Quebec the majority of

people that I work with which is people

from gaspi or gaspan they were very

timid towards what you call like the

bosses the working conditions were very

very what you call like uh were very bad

okay they would let you work in certain

environment with no

mask there your life was in danger there

was no safety

whatsoever it wasn't a

consideration exactly MH right so uh we

were able to fought against and fight

against domination

again and we able to shed a light so

that the

bosses through the union were able to

stand up for the rights of these people

for our workingclass people obviously

you did some education with these men

that you were working with did you make

links between them and the Union in

Trinidad at that time of course I did of

course I did of course I so you helped

internationalize their thought process

about what was going on that's right in

the labor sector here in Quebec yes yes

how did you make the connection well uh

the connection was be made by visits you

visited they went went to Trinidad or no

I went to Trinidad you went to Trinidad

okay yeah and uh I I we exchanged what

you call documents usually you know

people think oh it's a woman's work to

buy the groceries to to cook to clean

it's beginning to change now not fast

enough but it's beginning to change so

this is what we did in the 70s we

brought about a way of Consciousness

raising so that people become aware of

the issues because this this was a

movement that was really started by the

feder Quebec yes so the Quebec women

frankophone women they spearheaded it

and it spread worldwide into something

like 169 countries yeah uh and our

little part the the English-speaking w

women in in what was then the little

bilingual town of lenville yeah next to

this bigger mediumsized city of of

sherbrook we were really a minority

within this this whole big

[Music]

movement at the end of my my years at

Migel it was

1995 and it was the summer that they

were doing the uh March de fam the

women's March the bread and Roses

women's March from from Montreal to

Quebec City I couldn't go the whole way

to Quebec City cuz I had to come back

and go to work but it was a total

immersion for me in the sort of Quebec

women's movement Super K quas very

militant and just like a whole other

world that I I didn't know anything

about so getting involved in that I I

heard about like women's groups from all

over the province and and and it was in

the Years Around the

referendum and so there was a lot of

talk about that kind of stuff and as an

angle phone who wanted to live in

Montreal but had grown up outside it was

a whole eye openening thing to talk to

people about what their thoughts were

about the referendum and this kind of

stuff was really impressed at how strong

that network of women's organizations

was but I also lived a little bit of

culture shock I think maybe one thing

that's maybe not language so much is the

way in which the two communities work

and something I've learned a lot from

working with groups like ax G and even

for a while with the um little burgundy

Coalition is that con is a much more

important part of

frankophone um uh Community Building

than it is in the angle phone Community

I think at least in my own experience

that um and it used to maybe when I

first started engaging maybe sometimes

it frustrated me a little bit because I

thought it was a lot of meetings and a

lot of sitting around talking but I

realize that's a very very important

part of um of social movements that

people sit down and consult collaborate

Envision build build a shared Vision um

and that's what makes a community

movement strong and I think if you skip

that and try to go too fast um it's it

you're not going to be able to uh have

as much momentum or have as much

involvement as when you really reach out

and try to get people to sit around

and think about talk about what what the

vision is There's issues of course you

know within Quebec Street movements face

massive repression but I do think that

street movements here do play a more

important role in the political debates

with of Quebec Society whereas in the

rest of Canada you know as I was

describing you know as say for example a

teenager who was interested in activism

I could never find sort of the the

Grassroots context through which to

express and participate in the political

ideas that I was being drawn to and when

I came here to Montreal you could

immediately see a a possibility to do

that and I was very very excited about

[Music]

that one of the aspects of Quebec is

that we have two minorities here both

both the linguistic majority sees itself

as a minority in The Wider cont and the

linguistic minority obviously sees

itself as a minority minority in the

Quebec context yeah um so so maybe

tolerance is a little bit of a a

challenge for both of us sure Toler sure

very very very valid point that you

start to see how all these issues

intersect in everybody and at different

moments of your life and in different

context you're playing out different

roles and there's always the native

people to remember and the languages of

the native people don't even figure in

any of this discussion it's always

English French yeah due to the National

question I think Quebec is more insular

to minority struggles predominant

preoccupation was culture identity and

language but for minorities uh you know

we we can't wait uh for the uh majority

culture to uh to resolve it it its

issues uh and and we have to push on you

know for our own issues for our own

struggles I I live to see that um

when R came into

power that uh what he did he uh what you

call he

ejected what you call like uh the fren

solidarity into the Working Class People

of Montreal and people in general he

made french more dominant towards the

people and uh I think it been a very

good thing also because it gave each and

every one of the people it a chance to

to learn

French and to work in French also in

English when we started let's say from

74 um we started the black youth

Committee of utat which was part of that

whole BCC AQ concept the Outreach coming

out of

NCC um we had meetings in English and in

French when I went to the NCC and we had

the yoia basketball teams and all that

was being done was mainly and um in

English but at the same time I was part

of that um how do I say that networking

so once you into networking uh we

created Quebec multipl for example that

I was part of and that was being done in

French I think when you get beyond the

sort of one-on-one kind of level and

you're trying to participate

in in um provincial level stuff or or

Coalition level stuff it becomes a

little more difficult if your French is

not really strong sometimes just the

pace of the conversation and the slang

and stuff like that can be hard to

follow and it can be hard to jump in at

the right moment because you're still

processing and there's not always a real

sensitivity to that whether you're angle

phone or if you speak other languages

whatever it's just at a higher level of

activity and they're Rolling Along so it

can be hard to insert yourself I do see

this very intense disconnect that exists

between social movements in the rest of

North America and Quebec because I'm an

anglophone in Quebec I have often gone

to other parts of Canada and the United

States to share what movements are doing

here in English because so much was

happening in French and then and then

within Quebec social movements there's a

lack of understanding of the

complexities of English rooted social

movements linguistically speaking within

Canada or in the United States right

like for example I think that language

is part of the reason why we are not

seeing more Grassroots response to uh

hands up or I can't breathe

demonstrations that are happening just 6

hours south from us in New York activist

groups in in in in the US are always

really interested in Quebec and there's

always this tension in the rest of

Canada right and I understand where that

comes from but I I think that of anybody

progressives should sort of try to get

over

that my dream is to see an alliance I

have been very involved in the lsq

community but still the lsq community

not everyone but some in the community

like my peers they are very supportive

open-minded and understanding of ASL and

lsq working together in regards to the

issues but some politically speaking for

example they might might see me as

threatening because of my support for

diversity be it the importance of

involving immigrants involving the ASL

Community as well as gay and lesbian

rights groups but for those who are KCA

pin are very protective of their lsq

language and resist outside influence

but you want power of votes freedom of

expression de rights we already have our

own common struggles of De issues within

a system that has not been listening to

us as Citizens and to continually be

focused on issues only relating to lsq

takes away from Death issues similarly

occurring in both communities if we work

together we are greater in numbers and

therefore stronger as a whole we can

come together and vote on the same

issues because really our struggles are

the same the only difference is our

language while maybe in terms of

Oppression there are some differences as

well

I I think it's very very very important

to uh to be part of the political

process to engage join things um go to

go to demonstrations go

to events that are happening that help

you learn more about what's going on in

your community and how you can have a

voice in it in terms of um advice to

anyone who's doing um Community work

organizing and so for is to really think

in terms of who's coming behind um to

always try to have a group together and

not direct the group but let the group

direct itself I think one thing that's

really useful is

to try and understand how your

involvement is connected to a longer

term struggle so to try and see it as

part of a as part of a movement and not

just an event or not just a

campaign keep

grounded take care of

yourself so that we can build

relationships that are

respectful and that are really

effective part of the struggle of

activist movements is to try to think

about how we as people can be involved

in these things for long-term in healthy

ways and also that the relationships we

have within activism are decent and and

loving and and you know and based on on

the humanity that we are trying to

express the only thing I can say is

learning from my own experience is is is

is to know yourself and to know and to

know your

struggle so that you

can participate in it wholeheartedly

[Music]

a a

[Music]