Montreal is a special place.
Yes, we complain about the weather. We complain about falling concrete and potholes, there is always too much construction and there has been too much corruption.
But, there is something about this place that just can’t be beat -- you know exactly what I mean.
A crisp fall day on the mountain, sweaty summer nights on terraces with the sound of jazz in the air, and those big old fashioned snow storms which many of us secretly hope for. The Jean Talon market, the restaurants, all the festivals and more than anything -- the people.
There is a buzz here that you cannot find anywhere else. We are the biggest bilingual city in the world. Bonjour/Hi has become part of the lexicon. Our families intermarry. The official language is Franglais. And of course, added to this wonderful stew, this -- ragout de Montreal -- are the Italians, the Greeks, the Portuguese and the dozens of other cultural groups with their languages, customs and food that blend in to make this a feast.
I grew up here. And then I left. My parents were a part of the exodus. But Montreal was always in my heart. So I returned as soon as I could and made my life here, never have I regretted it.
Montreal has the same status and powers as Rimouski. That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Montreal is different from the rest of Quebec in so many ways.
We are a multicultural metropolis. We are the economic engine of the province. Our universities are world class. Most of us are Montrealers first and foremost, and most of us are resolutely federalist.
Montreal gets almost all of its revenue from one source -- that’s one reason your property taxes are so high.
The city has been arguing for a fiscal pact from Quebec City for decades. But finally, it seems the new Liberal government is about to listen.
Montreal is still trying to find its footing years after the merger demerger debacle. It was forced down our throats and we still suffer from indigestion.
Montreal needs the ability to decide its own priorities. It needs the power to raise revenue as it sees fit for Montreal and Montrealers, not to pave roads in St. Louis de sans regret.
For years governments in Quebec City have treated Montreal like a big Drummondville. It is different and as Montreal goes so does the rest of the province.
And, can we be so bold and mature as to demand some relief in language restrictions.?
Montreal should receive an exemption from some of the education provisions of Bill 101. Children of English-speaking immigrants should be allowed to attend English schools.
It makes no sense that American kids or children from the UK are forced into the French system. It would make Montreal even more attractive for companies to invest here and for the brains who want to settle here. This would give much needed oxygen to an English school system fighting for survival.
Montreal is a bilingual and multilingual city, and no matter how much the petulant separatists stomp their feet that’s not going to change.
This is the best place in Canada in my view.
Special status for a special place indeed. But, it will take resolve, and a good amount of guts to do the right thing.
