Official Quebec National Assembly – Petition against the naming of REM Station in Griffintown to be called “Griffintown – Bernard Landry”

Greg Kelley MNA and his aides have helped us word the petition and run through due process and it is now LIVE on the Quebec National Assembly website.  The UIS wants to thank Greg Kelley and all of the Irish Organizations in Montreal (Bloomsday Montreal, CINE GAEL, Erin Sports Association, Montreal Irish Monument Park Foundation, Soulanges Irish Society, St Patrick’s Society, Young School of Irish Dancing) who have supported this.

We hope you will share this link either by email or share the UIS post on Social Media on the United Irish Societies page.

We have until January 23, 2021 to sign the petition.  Please Share !

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PETITION.

The Petition reads as follows:

WHEREAS more than 3 million Quebecers have Irish origins;

WHEREAS the 1847 Famine brought more than 70000 Irish nationals to Quebec, who were added to Montreal’s then total population of 50000;

WHEREAS French Canadians provided assistance to their new neighbours, through acts of humanitarianism; the clergy, the Soeurs Grises and the Soeurs de la Providence cared for thousands of survivors who arrived in Quebec in a lamentable state after 8 to 10 weeks of transatlantic voyage in poorly outfitted sailing ships;

WHEREAS the Irish found refuge in Quebec and worked hard as labourers and longshoremen in the Champlain neighbourhood of Quebec City and in the Pointe-Saint-Charles and Griffintown neighbourhoods of Montreal;

WHEREAS the late Mr. Bernard Landry, Premier of Quebec from 2001 to 2003, was of Acadian origin and had no ties to Griffintown other than the Cité du Multimédia, located near the proposed site of the REM station;

We, the undersigned, ask the government of Quebec to:

1. Ensure that the names for the REM stations located in the Southwest Borough and Nun’s Island take into consideration the Irish community’s preference; that the former be named “Griffintown” and the latter “Bernard Landry”, to pay tribute to both Mr. Landry and Quebecers of Irish heritage

Important (please read):

– For your signature to count on the petition – YOU MUST VALIDATE your email address after the Petition is signed.

– You will receive an email after signature and YOU MUST CLICK the LINK for the signature to count.

– It is possible it could take several minutes to receive the email  (NOTE: it may go to your SPAM folder).

TO ACCESS THE ENGLISH PETITION:

Griffintown has always been important to the Irish Community. From Thomas McCord to Mary Griffin on down through history Griffintown was known as an Irish neighbourhood with its important symbols, buildings, its residents, and history.

The United Irish Societies of Montreal has its origins in Griffintown and St. Ann’s Church. The UIS has always been sensitive to the recognition of Griffintown as an Irish neighbourhood and continues to be sensitive to this recognition as its ongoing gentrification continues. In January, the Irish community met with Valerie Plante to express their displeasure with her recommendation of naming the future REM station to honour the late Premier Bernard Landry.

Today (June 22nd, 2020) the Irish community met once again with the Mayor of Montreal to hear that the name of the REM Station that borders Griffintown to now be named “GriffinTown – Bernard Landry”. This decision was not taken well and was opposed by all Irish communities with great displeasure and was voiced during this call with Mme Plante.

We wanted all of our membership to understand our stance on the matter and we will continue to oppose this decision until the Griffintown station and area are given the recognition it deserves without sharing it with a past Premier of Quebec.

That being said, as a group we must remember that the City of Montreal is a great supporter when it comes to our parade and we want to ensure that we as the United Irish Societies of Montreal remain in good standings with the city so please keep in mind that if you wish to voice your opinion on this matter please feel free to do so but as an individual.

Anything that is to be written on Social Media or spoken to the Public on behalf of the UIS is to be done so by our VP of Advertising & Public Relations – Kevin Tracey.

Thank you and I wish we had better news on this topic

Patricia Mulqueen

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Applications are now open, all information is available via the link.

The UIS Scholarship is open to Montrealers of Irish descent aged between 18-25, enrolled full time in a post-secondary school (CEGEP, Trade School, University), and active in helping the Irish Community of our city. The applicant must be in good standing in their respective school.

All applications must be received by August 30th, 2020

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