This is not a political post, instead, it is in support of Mouvement Montreal, Montreal’s newest political party co-founded by Balarama Holness and Idil Issa. In addition to the new party announcement, Balarama Holness confirmed that he will be running for mayor of Montreal, alongside Valerie Plante and Denis Coderre.
In the Thursday morning press release, “Holness promises that Mouvement Montreal’s “new approach to political organizing, campaigning, and policy-making will prioritize people’s needs, support their aspirations, and give them a voice”
If you have followed the recent mayoral race, you may have vacillated between not wanting to vote for one party, but not fully aligned with the other. Especially after living through the last few years in Montreal, we can agree that a racialized and new political party is welcomed. With marginalized communities at higher risk of increased job loss and homelessness, Balarama vows to prioritize “Montrealers desires for job security, affordable housing, and accessible public transportation.
You may have remembered that Balarama and Montreal en Action launched a petition to force city hall to take a closer look at systemic racism, a concept that had been pushed aside, but is no longer ignored following the support of more than 22,000 Montrealers.
Holness used a provision in the city’s charter to trigger a public consultation that would include 7,000 participants and produce 38 recommendations, including that Montreal recognize the systemic nature of racism and discrimination against racialized groups – Montreal Gazette
Now, I told you this was not a political post. I am not here to discuss politics, I am however celebrating because as an Afro-Montrealer and immigrant, I feel like I finally have a political party that understands my needs and will fight for me “at the table.” Here’s the full press release, credited to Mouvement Montreal social media:
Cover photo: credited to New York Times
Body photo credited to New York Times
