Saint-Jean-Baptiste parade in Montreal

The extreme heat did not prevent the fleurs-de-lis from invading Rachel Street in Montreal on Tuesday afternoon for the traditional Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day parade.

Thousands gathered at the corner of Molson and Rachel Streets in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie borough to march before heading to Maisonneuve Park to watch the show, hosted this year by actress Guylaine Tremblay.

“For me its a way to celebrate and to come together to celebrate Saint Jean Baptiste day,” said Joëlle, Montreal resident.

Mathieu Fortier arrived 45 minutes early to make sure he got a good spot. For him, this year’s Fête Nationale has a special meaning, as the U.S. president continues to attack Canada’s sovereignty.

“This year’s Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is about pride, celebration, and purpose,” Fortier said. For me personally, Trump’s attacks have boosted my pride in being Quebecois and my Quebecois identity.”

He said he was looking forward to going to Maisonneuve Park to celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day until the end of the evening.

For some, this is their first Fête Nationale parade. This was the case for Claude Turgeon, who traveled from Boisbriand with his wife to celebrate Quebec with their Montreal friends.

“I’ve always been proud to be Quebecois, but this year I wanted to participate,” he said.

“It’s more to celebrate the nation where I live in, to embrace my new culture as well,” said Emilie, Montreal resident. “And it’s always a good excuse to meet with friends and have a good time.”

Politicians take in the celebrations

As every year, the various political parties took part in the parade. Non-partisanship was also on the agenda, and the importance of celebrating Quebec identity without politics was on the lips of all elected officials.

Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe said it is important to ensure the sustainability of Quebec culture in an increasingly fragmented world.

“We must always stand up to defend our culture, our language, and our identity,” Lacombe told reporters. “We have been fighting for who we are in Quebec for 250 years, so I think this fight is far from over, especially with the upheavals we are currently experiencing on the international scene with our southern neighbor, but also within Canada as a whole.”

Québec solidaire (QS) co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal emphasized the need to “be proud of our uniqueness as a people and not try to be like the United States.”

“There is so much bad news in the world, so being here and celebrating our Quebec values and our pacifist values feels good,” Ghazal said.

Wearing a blue t-shirt with the words “Vive le Québec libre” (Long live free Quebec) printed on it, Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon said he felt that the population needed “a unifying Quebec identity.”

“In a more fragmented and divided period of our society, it’s time to come together and talk and socialize as we are doing today,” he told reporters.

The PQ leader also said he was “struck” by the sovereignty sentiment among young people, even though he “can’t take credit for it,” he added with a laugh.

For his part, the new leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP), Pablo Rodriguez, took the opportunity to emphasize the non-partisan nature of this celebration and the importance of being united for Fête Nationale.

“We’ll fight tomorrow or next week, but today we’re all proud to be Quebecers,” said Rodriguez.

Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and MP for Laurier–Sainte-Marie, emphasized the Quebec pride that has emerged in response to the U.S. president’s threats.

“We see it in Quebec and across the country, there is a movement of Quebec pride, people want to stick together in the face of what is perceived as economic aggression and also an attack on our identity and our sovereignty, so it warms my heart to see people come together like this and say ‘this is not what we want.’”

According to the Fête Nationale organizing committee, 650 events were scheduled across the province to mark the holiday. This year’s edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first public performance of the iconic song “Gens du pays,” written by Gilles Vigneault and composed in collaboration with Gaston Rochon.

Vigneault’s song was played several times during the parade, interrupting the festive music and inviting the crowd to sing along to its familiar chorus.