A Canada Day celebration in Brossard was welcomed by residents after some controversy over the decision to hold the event in the parking lot of an Islamic cultural centre.
The centre also houses a mosque, drawing complaints from some in the community that Canada Day celebrations should not be held in a religious institution.
Many of the complaints were voiced on the Facebook page of Alexandra Mendes, the MP for the area who organized the party.
Mendes dismissed the naysayers.
“A lot of it, I think, was caused by people who are not even constituents of the riding and who, for some sort of reason of their own, decided it was fun to question a community centre doing a Canada Day event,” she said.
Centre Chairman Usman Shaik also defended the location.
“It's very diverse and we are expecting every community to take part today,” he said. “Even though they may be negative, we welcome them.”
Many people still showed up for the events, which included a swearing-in ceremony for new Canadians.
Mosque member Imran Kahn said there was much ado about nothing.
“It really was a non-religious event in the end and that's what it was supposed to be. We're just simply hosting it and see no real issue with that,” said Kahn.
Some residents from outside the mosque showed up to lend their support.
“We see lots of people, lots of different nationalities. It's a pleasant event,” said Brossard resident Mark Waldvogel.Yvon Lebrun, a member of the choir who performed at the ceremony, said he was proud to be part of the fun.
"We are all integral, we're all part of the mosaic. I just love it," he said.
