About half of St. Laurent’s council is made up of immigrants.
(Photo: Archives)
A council of diversity
Politics is about representation. This is particularly evident in St. Laurent, where a significant number of council members are immigrants. Whether it is borough mayor Alan DeSousa, councilors Maurice Cohen or Patricia Bittar, the elected political team makes up a good reflection of the neighbourhood.
At the heart of the borough council, they are called “the old couple.” Maurice Cohen and Michèle D. Biron are political veterans in St. Laurent who recently celebrated 25 years of service.
Cohen is a model of integration and success. Arriving in Canada in 1964 from Morocco, he started making his first steps towards his councillor’s office: “Coming to join my family members in Montreal, I received help from the francophone Jewish community at first. From there, I slowly built myself up. I participated in the founding of a number of institutions, schools, and religious institutions in St. Laurent.” His story proves obstacles are not insurmountable for newcomers: when Cohen first arrived in Quebec, he had $5 in his pocket… After spending some time as a hairdresser, we have now seen him dining with Bill Clinton!
“We live in a great place where there are few barriers,” he said. “Those who work hard can make it.”
Cohen says “immigration contributes both to the borough and to the country itself. Integration facilities are in place, but the province needs to make sure immigrants learn and master the French language.”
«Not to be prisoners»
The current political team in St. Laurent attempts to represent the diverse population. The difficult thing, however, is that more than 160 ethnicities live in the borough.
“The choice to have a diverse team of councilors was made an issue during the elections, so that it would reflect the population as best as possible. At the same time we realized we couldn’t represent the entire community in our territory,” said DeSousa, who arrived in Montreal when he was 13 years old. “It’s not only about representing the population. We looked for capable people who would not be prisoners of their ethnicity, who could make connections and build bridges with other communities.”
It’s a situation that has not always been consistent in the past. The face of St. Laurent is not the same, nor is its administration. “We saw an evolution,” DeSousa remembered. “But with a council smaller than in years past, it’s harder. You have to carefully choose your team. So, you can’t just base it on the person’s origins, because it’s essential to choose the best person, especially in terms of competencies.”
The mayor of St. Laurent also experienced the adaptation process after spending the first 13 year of his life in his home country. Like Cohen, he says his origins were never an obstacle to his career or, nor an electoral problem.
“It’s never easy in politics, but I’ve never had any problems like that. The people in the community have always been respectful. I never used my origin as an argument, but rather my competencies and successes.”
In addition, it is difficult to enact politics that satisfy the entire St. Laurent community. Their projects’ goals are to bring the community together and work for the common good.
“It’s like a sports team. Look at our local hockey, soccer, or ringette teams: many of the members are immigrants, but they all work together toward the same goal.”
Whether it is politics, sports or economy, there are many success stories, even though it takes plenty of hard work to climb the social ladder.
(Translated by Elyse Amend)
(Photo: Archives)
(Photo: Sylvain Sarrazin)
Météo: Montréal, 20 juillet 2008 / 22°C
/ Couvert
/ Vents: 6 Km/h / Humidité relative: 83 % 
par Sylvain Sarrazin 
Steven Guilbeault - Chronique environnement
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