{"id":1349,"date":"2011-04-03T13:57:41","date_gmt":"2011-04-03T18:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/optative.net\/blog\/?p=1349"},"modified":"2016-08-17T14:21:53","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T19:21:53","slug":"federal-election-cultural-war-in-the-main-national-historic-site-pits-gilles-duceppe-against-marc-garneau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/optative.net\/blog\/federal-election-cultural-war-in-the-main-national-historic-site-pits-gilles-duceppe-against-marc-garneau\/","title":{"rendered":"ELECTION: Artists demand leadership in protecting The Main National Historic Site"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Canadian federal election has been called and never before have Montreal artists in the Quartier des Specatcles<\/a><\/em> been so politically engaged and mobilized. A cultural war of unprecedented proportions is under way in the new Entertainment district, pitting an alliance corporate developers and the Mayor of Montreal against local artists,\u00a0 heritage activists, and the living culture of the neighbourhood. The most recent battle, fought within The Main National Historic Site<\/a>, saw artists declare victory<\/a> after foiling attempts to expropriate their historic venue, the storied Caf\u00e9 Cleopatre, and evict them and their burlesque performances from the Quartier des Spectacles<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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The Quartier des Specatcles <\/em>is an area that should be of interest to politicians on municipal, provincial, and federal levels. The fact that\u00a0a billion dollars of taxpayer’s money<\/a>\u00a0is being spent to revitalize the old Red Light District\u00a0requires careful attention to detail, especially given recent evidence of rampant corruption<\/a> in the Quebec construction industry.<\/p>\n

On the federal level, the Quartier des Spectacles<\/em> sits squarely within two electoral ridings: Westmount-Ville-Marie<\/a>, run by Liberal astronaut Marc Garneau<\/a>, occupies the western sector, and to the east is the Laurier-Sainte-Marie<\/a> riding, run by the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, Gilles Duceppe<\/a>. Interestingly, the boundary that separates the two ridings is\u00a0St-Laurent boulevard, also known as The Main National Historic Site,\u00a0which is the location\u00a0of the\u00a0fierce cultural war being waged between the Save The Main<\/a> coalition and the Angus Development Corporation<\/a>\/Tremblay<\/a> Alliance. While both Garneau and Duceppe are considered very\u00a0high-profile politicians\u00a0in their respective parties,\u00a0their commitment to Qu\u00e9becois culture is questionable:\u00a0neither politician objected when\u00a0the\u00a0corporate alliance attacked The Main National Historic Site and the Qu\u00e9becois artists working there. The artists\u00a0had to fight alone to save\u00a0the Caf\u00e9 Cleopatre, and they are still fighting the protect real Montreal culture against the corporate onslaught of Disneyfication<\/a>\u00a0that is threatening\u00a0The Main National Historic Site.<\/p>\n

The Main is considered sacred and holds a very special place in the hearts of Montrealers. As the first street to stretch beyond the ancient fortifications of Old Montr\u00e9al, The Main is renowned as a gateway of immigration, a multi-cultural boulevard, the heart of the old Red Light District, and the spine of Canada’s most artistic neighbourhoods. It’s latest role\u00a0is\u00a0taking centre stage in\u00a0the new Quartier des Spectacles<\/em>, serving as the\u00a0historical connection\u00a0between the Place des Arts<\/em> and Quartier Latin<\/em> poles. If redeveloped properly, The Main National Historic Site would seem to be an obvious\u00a0historical asset to the Quartier des Spectacles<\/em>, but\u00a0presently\u00a0it is not even indicated on official maps displayed in the Place des Festivals<\/em>. Tourists looking at the map will be unaware that a National Historic Site is nearby, and indeed is running right through the middle of the Quartier des Spectacles.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Federal candidates should pay careful attention to this cultural war on the border of\u00a0Duceppe and Garneau’s\u00a0respective ridings. Not only should they be concerned that their constituents, including artists and immigrants,\u00a0are under attack by powerful corporate forces, but also because in 1996 it was the federal government themselves who declared The Main a “National Historic Site of Canada.<\/a>”<\/p>\n

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The government’s rationale\u00a0behind the designation was that\u00a0“National historic sites are places of profound importance to Canada. They bear witness to this nation’s defining moments and illustrate its human creativity and cultural traditions. Each national historic site tells its own unique story, part of the greater story of Canada, contributing a sense of time, identity, and place to our understanding of Canada as a whole.” The heritage designation\u00a0suggested the fabled corridor must maintain a “sense of history”, and to protect it insisted that “intrusive elements must be minimal<\/a><\/strong>“. The future looked extremely bright for The Main.<\/p>\n

Commemorative Integrity<\/a>\u00a0is a term used to describe\u00a0the health or wholeness of a national historic site. As defined in the National Historic Sites Policy (of Canada), a state of commemorative integrity can be said to exist:<\/p>\n