Behind The Curtain (26 May, 2023)
Accessible audio for this week’s Behind The Curtain will be available soon!
Last weekend, as I wandered around NDG covering Porchfest (my report will be up tomorrow), I noticed election signs up. It took me a minute, but then I remembered that there was a Federal byelection in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount riding scheduled for June 19th. It is to replace longtime Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) MP, former cabinet minister, and former astronaut Marc Garneau who resigned in March. How did I forget about this? I had shared the story on Forget The Press when it broke, but then it left the forefront (actually the forefront-adjacent, don’t think it ever got to the forefront) of my mind. Was I slipping? I’m usually all over elections and by-elections that happen anywhere close to home. Was my political nerdom waning because I was hanging around all these artists? No, the artists I know, for the most part, are some of the most politically-minded people out there. So what is it?
It’s not me, it’s Westmount. Moreover, it’s the electoral dominance Westmount has over whatever other neighbourhood it is coupled with in a riding. And Westmount Always Votes Liberal. Even during the Orange Wave in 2011, when it wasn’t just francophone Bloc Québécois ridings jumping to the NDP, but anglo Montreal red ridings going orange as well, Westmount, or at the time Westmount-Saint-Louis (including parts of Downtown and even the Plateau), stayed with the Libs. On election night that year, it looked like the NDP might take it, but by the morning, the Westmount vote was counted and the Libs retained. This was despite being booted to third place nation-wide for the first time ever. During the Mulroney years, when the Progressive Conservative Party (PC) had majority governments, Westmount still went Liberal. This is true in provincial politics, too. Westmount split with the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) once in the 90s and voted in the Equality Party, but their MNA crossed the floor to the Parti Québécois (PQ) mid-term, and Westmount hasn’t abandoned the Libs since.
I grew up in Westmount, and before you start, it was lower Westmount, and we lived in a 7 ½ with two balconies that cost $320 a month heated in the 80s and, I believe, $750 heated a few years ago (no it’s not still available at that price). I used to tell people that I lived in Westmount because “we couldn’t afford NDG”. My perspective was different. Living in a working-class household among the upper middle class, with the well-to-do inherited wealth class just a little bit up the hill. We all got to use the pool and the library. Now I’m a champagne socialist who can’t afford champagne and replaces it with Don Simon ($7 for a box at the SAQ!).
All this doesn’t give me any unique insights into why Westmount always goes Liberal, only the standard ones. Residents, in particular those with “old money” living on the hill, want a corporate establishment party, and it doesn’t get more corporate and establishment than the Libs. I suspect social issues aren’t nearly as relevant to this voter base as economic ones, except for when it comes to language. While other federal parties may not have attacked English language rights, the Liberals were the ones to famously go to war with the separatists in the 70s and 80s. So, long memories probably count more than current policies.
My unique perspective does make me feel like there’s no chance this particular by-election will produce any stunning results. The only interesting race could have been the one for Liberal candidacy, and that’s already over. Former LPC President Anna Gainey won it, and will be the latest in a long list of prominent Liberals in the riding. Garneau was even parachuted into the riding after losing elsewhere. The Conservatives are running Mathew Kaminski again, the NDP are deciding between Jean-François Filion and Malcolm Lewis-Richmond, the Greens are running Deputy Leader Jonathan Pedneault and the Bloc have no chance (not that any of the others besides the Libs do, but they really have no chance). Alex Montagano is running independently as "Trainman" and is asking people to make him their protest vote. He was around some Porchfest shows this past weekend in a train conductor's outfit.
Maybe the new Federal Languages Bill, aka Bill C-13, which is very unpopular among some Quebec anglos, combined with the fact that it’s a by-election that won’t change who’s in power, will be the final straw that breaks Lib dominance in Westmount. Or maybe NDG will unite behind someone and take control away from, or at least be at balance with, their politically dominant neighbours. Downtown couldn’t do it, maybe NDG can. Unless it looks like either of these things might happen, my political nerdom will most likely sit this one out.
NOTES THIS WEEK
IndieGoGo Time: “For the price of a cup of coffee a day, you could have a cup of coffee…every day. Or you could cure a disease, like smallpox, or even big pox. Or you could send it to me!” That was what I said, in character as JC Sunshine, at the start of the very first ever FTB Fundraiser, or rather FUN-raiser (we were raising fun and funds, get it!). That was just a one-night in-person event in our very first year. We tried it again for our fifth anniversary, again with bands and in-person, though slightly more organized. Now, we’re doing a huge, high-tech (by that I mean online) fundraiser through Indiegogo. It’s for Phase II of the new Forget The Box and we have a detailed explanation of what we’ll spend the money on, as well as perks you can get for helping us thrive, and even some fun videos on our Indiegogo Campaign Page! Check it out and please consider helping us achieve our goals.
Oops: Yeah, about those videos. They’re real fun, and the second one features me. At one point, I go through a list, Oscar-style, of people who have been part of the site over the years, and, due to editing and using the wrong take, it comes across as though I forgot some pretty important names. (Editor’s Note: There were no edits to that part, it was all you.) Fine, well, Dawn was distracting me (Editor’s Note: She is incredibly distracting, yes.). Right!? Ok, I messed up…so I’d like to add these names to the list of people who have had a significant part in FTB’s development over the years: Jessica Klein, Mirna Dkukic, David DesBaillets, Taylor Noakes, Keltie Larter, and Josh Davidson.
Reading Anarchy: The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair is back tomorrow and Sunday. The largest such event in North America returns to St-Henri, specifically less than a 5-minute walk from where I live in St-Henri. I’ve tabled at this event (for a festival) more than a few times over the years and have always enjoyed attending and made a point to pick up some interesting books. This year, given my proximity to the location, I should be able to at least stop by. It’s for “anarchists and people curious about anarchism” and, from experience, people with an overall anti-capitalist, anti-colonial and anti-fascist perspective on things. There are tons of books, a decent amount of workshops and the venue is very accessible. You can find the details (including their COVID policy, you have to wear a mask) HERE!
And the Winners Are: Last night Creative Director Andrew Jamieson and Editor-in-Chief Dawn McSweeney drew the winners of our FringeMTL Review Lottery. These 30 acts will each get their Fringe show reviewed by one of the members of our team. That group includes me, so you might just have me reviewing your show. I recommend adding discussions of public transit, Star Wars, WWE or lefty politics to your script if you want to capture my attention. (Editor’s Note: He’s not kidding.)
FTB Founder Jason C. McLean will return every Friday for another installment in his series, Behind The Curtain.
