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Montreal Gazette
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Opinion: What a family vacation taught me about Canada's strength under fire
This year, our family holidays took us to places my children had never visited before. We live in Alberta and set out to explore Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City. My youngest was especially eager to see the sites of battles from the War of 1812, particularly around Niagara, where American forces were halted. Meanwhile, my high-school-aged daughter was interested in visiting the universities in those cities. By chance, we joined a campus tour, and most of the prospective students were American. Some parents shared that they were encouraging their children to study in Canada due to growing concerns back home. I became a Canadian citizen through marriage just three years ago, and I'm constantly learning something new about my adopted country. This trip prompted me to reflect more deeply on Canada's past, its current challenges, and its future. While biking around Ottawa, we came across the locks of the Rideau Canal, where recreational boats moved gracefully between different water levels. I assumed most Canadian children learn about this in primary school, but I had never heard of the canal before. I was fascinated to learn how and why the 202-kilometre waterway was built. After the War of 1812, the British feared another American invasion and recognized that relying on the St. Lawrence River, running along the U.S. border, was too risky for transportation. The Rideau Canal was constructed as a secure inland route linking Lake Ontario to the Ottawa River, completed in 1832. Nearly 1,000 workers died during its construction, mostly from disease. Another aspect that left a strong impression on me was learning about the history of French Canadians, as recounted by a tour guide in Quebec City. She described the deep grievances that many Québécois still hold toward English Canada. The stories included examples of political, cultural, and economic repression following the British conquest. Let's just say that the complaints from some in my home province about being mistreated by the federal government seem minor by comparison. I enjoyed the surroundings of the iconic Château Frontenac. Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) after Confederation, the Château was designed as a luxury hotel and was part of a broader strategy to promote tourism and national unity. At the time, English-speaking Canada was heavily focused on westward expansion, aiming to connect the country from coast to coast and secure British Columbia's place in Confederation amid fears of an American invasion. However, many in Quebec were skeptical of the project, raising geographical, cultural, and economic concerns. To gain support in the province, the CPR made strategic decisions, one of which involved extending the railway to Quebec City and constructing the opulent Château, which opened in 1893. The hotel became both a symbol of the railway's ambition and a political gesture to more closely integrate Quebec into the new Canada. It may have even provided a job for our guide, though she didn't mention this during the tour. The Rideau Canal and the Château Frontenac are more than just beautiful landmarks. They remind us of a time when bold decisions were made to secure Canada's future. These projects can still inspire us today to modernize our national innovation system — from infrastructure and regulation to how the public and private sectors, along with society, collaborate. We need to take a clear-eyed look at the real risks we face and act accordingly. Accelerating progress was no easy feat for early Canadians; nonetheless, they managed to set priorities and get things done. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but since the completion of the Rideau Canal and Château Frontenac, Canada has not faced a direct attack from the United States. Today, there are no muskets or cannons, but we are in a serious struggle to defend our economy and sovereignty. The challenges are different, but the need for bold, co-ordinated action is just as urgent.
National Post
06-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Raymond J. de Souza: America's 1775 invasion of Quebec ended in retreat. Trump should ponder that
Article content It was not a matter only of heated rhetoric. The American Revolutionary War began in April 1775 at Lexington and Concord. Soon after George Washington was appointed first commander of the Continental Army, the founding of which in June 1775 was marked by the military parade in Washington last month. Article content Within months, Gen. Washington moved troops north to attack Quebec, partly motivated by the hope that French Canadiens might join the Americans and turn against the British, reversing the results of the 'Battle of Quebec' 1759. Instead, French Catholics rejected an alliance with the anti-Catholic American revolutionaries, and the British prevailed that winter in the 'Battle of Quebec' 1775. Article content The 250th anniversary of that battle this fall is a salutary occasion for Canadians to recall that the future existence of Canada as a continental country was in peril then, and was preserved in part by toleration for the religious liberty of French Catholics. Article content Article content Undaunted by the loss of the Battle of Quebec 1775, the Americans continued to see Catholic liberty as a threat. While the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 contains some of the noblest aspirations of the human spirit, it also includes a litany of grievances, namely 'Abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies.' Article content The 'free system of English Laws' meant the discriminatory laws against Catholics in England and Ireland — restrictions on worship, owning property, standing for office, etc … The Catholic culture of Quebec was thus seen as a clear and present danger of tyranny — 'absolute rule' — to the American colonies. Article content This story, with an ominous beginning, had a happier end. After the revolution, the new American government did not aggressively seek to restrict Catholic liberty, and the Bill of Rights guaranteed religious freedom. Article content Canadians are wise in these semiquintcentennial observances to recall the whole story, not just the parts favourable to the American telling. This fall, 250 years ago, American forces were marching northward to Canada. Had they succeeded, Confederation in 1867 would have looked much different, if being possible at all. Article content
Boston Globe
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The view from Old Orchard Beach: many French Canadians say ‘non merci!'
Canadians, angered by President Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st state and by tariff increases, have been boycotting the United States in droves. On this longest day of the year, vacancy and Bienvenue signs were posted around town. The Canadian flag flew proudly just below Old Glory on Old Orchard Street. But there were also T-shirts for sale depicting Trump as a tattooed, muscle-bound 'Make America Great' hero in the front window of a nearby souvenir shop. Advertisement The sun peeked at the horizon at 5 a.m. near The Pier at Old Orchard Beach, on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Many hotels, motels, and campgrounds cater to French Canadians. They have bilingual staff and have built up decades-long relationships with their guests. Several restaurants here serve poutine, the popular Quebec dish of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. With nearly 40 percent of summer visitors coming from Canada, many merchants worry this could be a long, frustrating summer. A local chamber of commerce spokesperson said reservations are down 10 percent to 20 percent this season. In addition to the political turmoil , officials blame the rainy weather and unfavorable exchange rates. The number of Canadian travelers to Maine has declined 25 percent this year compared to last year, according to Customs Border Protection. Some establishments are dropping their three-day minimum stay policy and are offering discounts. Advertisement Tourists strolled down Old Orchard Street heading for the beach. Is this throwback honky-tonk town set on a magnificent 7-mile beach in dire straits? Hopefully not. On Friday, there were several cars with Quebec plates driving around town and a few no vacancy signs. Most locals are sick of Trump talk. It's a short season and politics here are as welcome as seeing a fin slicing through the shallow water. But Rico Pettinicco, a longtime parking lot attendant, predicts the French Canadians will return. They love the beach too much. The draw of the ocean is more powerful than any one man. Tourists peered at a Trump T-shirt in the front window of a shop on Old Orchard Street in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. 'I had one Canadian guy come, and say, 'I'm not mad at you, we're mad at Trump. Besides, we like it here,' Pettinicco said. 'He said, 'How would you like Maine to become a province of Canada?' Then I thought about the free benefits and everything. Maybe it wouldn't be bad.' Adam Donovan of Friendship Oceanfront Suites says things are not as dire as advertised. 'The people that have been returning for a decade plus have been coming back, but not the newer families,' Donovan said. Consequently, there are bargains for others. Rachael O'Shaughnessy, an award-winning local artist, cleaned the beach under the pier at sunrise. Jolene Twombly-Wiser, a teacher from Denmark, Maine, got upgraded to an oceanfront balcony suite because of the lack of Canadian visitors. She says she misses hearing French amid the rolling waves. 'I love Canadians. They're some of the nicest people in the world,' Twombly-Wiser said. She is not a Trump fan. 'It's his way, right? To try to say shocking things as if they're normal and get everyone riled up,' she said. 'But there's a lot of people here that depend on that income. It's obviously already having an impact here. I'd love to see all the Canadians on the beach.' Advertisement The sun rose on the longest day of the year, Friday, June 20th, at 5AM. Rachael O'Shaughnessy is an award-winning local artist who helps to clean the beach starting before sunrise as inspiration for her art. She has noticed a difference this year — and not just fewer people. 'So far I see less garbage,' she said. She doesn't want to discuss politics. 'It's really a brutally difficult time,' she says. She just wants to enjoy the solstice sunrise. 'I think every single sunrise has a unique beauty. And every single one is worthy of my getting up.' The Pier at Old Orchard Beach has seagulls on patrol for French fries but plenty of empty tables. Fred Kennedy, the bilingual owner of the Alouette Beach Resort, did a CNN interview months ago after Trump insulted Canada. 'I thought I was pretty even tempered,' he said. But he received hate email from both Americans who thought he wasn't being loyal and Canadians who were upset at his tone. 'Canadians thought I was being nonchalant with their pride of being Canadian,' Kennedy said. 'Some of them were angry that I was saying everything is just fine.' Sunset illuminates a bar patron at The Pier at Old Orchard Beach. He learned that social media can be mean-spirited. 'People that never stayed with us tried to hurt my business by going on and writing negative reviews.' Since then, US-Canada relations seem to be improving, Kennedy said, with Trump being respectful to Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney. Kennedy says his business is down only 3 percent this year. On the beach, a woman in a USA sweatshirt celebrates the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. 'This weekend is sold out,' he said, noting that it's a long holiday weekend to celebrate the French Canadian patron, Saint Jean Baptiste, and some sports teams are in town. A Montreal tourist who declined to give his name says this isn't about politics. It's about being with his family at a place that makes him feel welcome. Advertisement 'No, I'm not going on about Trump,' he said. 'I've come here 20 years now. And I'm coming for the beach.' The sky is not falling, Kennedy insists. It's a perfect beach day and everybody is happy. 'We all made it through COVID, right?' @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Regular; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } @font-face { font-family: BentonSansCond-Bold; src: url(" format('woff2'), url(" format('woff'); } .dipupnext_hed { font-family: "MillerHeadline-Bold", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: .75px; text-align: center; font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1; margin-top: 3px; color: #000; width: 100%; font-weight: 600; } .dipupnext_cap_cred { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Regular", "Times New Roman", Times, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: .5px; text-align: left; margin: 3px 0px 5px 0px; font-weight: 200; color: #000; text-decoration: none; text-align: center; } .dipupnext_photo { max-width: 100%; height: auto; padding-top: 15px; opacity: 1; } .dipupnext__form:hover { opacity: .5; text-decoration: underline .5px; } .dipupnext__form{ opacity: 1; } .picupnext__container { width: 100%; position: relative; margin: 0 auto; } .dipupnext__content { width: 100%; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 3fr; } .cdipupnextcontainer { display: block; width:100%; height: auto; margin:0 auto; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; } .upnext { font-family: "BentonSansCond-Bold", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.15; margin-top: .5rem; letter-spacing: 0px; color: #000; padding: 8px 8px 4px 8px; margin-top: 5px; letter-spacing: .5px; } .upnext:before, .upnext:after { background-color: #000; content: ""; display: inline-block; height: 1px; position: relative; vertical-align: 4px; width: 32%; } .upnext:before { right: 0.3em; margin-left: -50%; } .upnext:after { left: 0.3em; margin-right: -50%; } .theme-dark .upnext:before { background-color: #fff; } .theme-dark .upnext:after { background-color: #fff; } .theme-dark .upnext { color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dipupnext_cap_cred { color: #fff; } .theme-dark .dipupnext_hed { color: #fff; } @media screen and (min-width: 800px){ .dipupnext__content { grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr; grid-column-gap: 40px; } } UP NEXT Stan Grossfeld can be reached at
Boston Globe
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
After 60 years, Lewiston's place in boxing lore will be cast in bronze
At a time when boxing was the sport of kings and championship fights of this caliber were global events, Ali knocked out Liston less than two minutes into what is perhaps the most unusual championship boxing match in history. 'I saw the punch,' Platz said. 'I saw him swing.' Others didn't, and still others wondered if Liston, a heavy favorite, threw the fight, for whatever reason. Advertisement But that was for the pundits to argue over. For Lewiston natives such as Platz and Hewitt, what happened that Tuesday night in May of 1965 was nothing short of a phenomenon, when people all around the world heard of Lewiston for the first time. The nostalgia wrapped in civic pride on the 50th anniversary convinced Platz, an architect and developer, and Hewitt, an artist, and eventually many others, that Lewiston's moment in history needed to be preserved, forever, in bronze. They turned to Zenos Frudakis, the Philadelphia-based sculptor known as the Monument Man, to create Zenos Frudakis stood next to his Muhammad Ali statue in clay. Frudakis Studio, Inc. That effort will culminate on Saturday, May 31, six days after the 60th anniversary of the fight, when the Ali statue is unveiled at the entrance to Bates Mill No. 5. Advertisement The symbolism is rich. It was mills such as No. 5 that put Lewiston on the map more than a century ago, attracting thousands of French Canadians to move south and work in the textile and shoe factories along the Androscoggin River. But those mills started closing in the 1950s, and by the time Muhammad Ali showed up, the decline of the city's industrial base was at full steam. Platz was heavily involved in efforts to redevelop the old factories, such as those in the Bates Mill Complex that house the Baxter brewing company, one of Lewiston's newest, burgeoning businesses. 'This was always a very diverse community, built by immigrants,' Platz said. 'When the factories started closing, Lewiston had to re-invent itself.' The Baxter Brewing Co. building on Thursday, March 6 in Lewiston, Maine. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe No one represented reinvention more than Ali, the brash fighter from Louisville who shocked mainstream America by converting to Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay after becoming heavyweight champion in 1964 by defeating Liston in Miami in their first fight. Ali later shocked even more in 1967 by refusing to fight in the Vietnam War, saying, 'I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong.' The rematch was supposed to take place in Boston, at Boston Garden. But Massachusetts officials were wary. Just a few months earlier, Malcolm X, the Black nationalist leader, had been assassinated as part of an internecine feud in the Nation of Islam. Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali arrived at his training camp in Chicopee, Mass. to launch final preparations for his May 25 title rematch with Sonny Liston in Boston. The match was moved to Lewiston seven days before the event. AP Ali had broken with Malcolm X prior to the assassination, and Massachusetts law enforcement and boxing officials feared retaliation at a high-profile bout. Racial tension was high in many cities. Advertisement Just 17 days before the scheduled bout, the fight was moved to Lewiston. All over the world, boxing fans asked, 'Where is Lewiston?' But in Lewiston, even as a boy, Platz could sense the energy and optimism the heavyweight title fight brought. 'The excitement was palpable,' he said. Hewitt remembers thinking of Ali and Liston, stars in the ring who were not embraced by most Americans because they were Black, as symbolizing something else in Lewiston's past. Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) whispers an aside to Angelo Dundee, his trainer, during a poolside press conference at his quarter in Lewiston nearby Auburn, Maine on May 24, 1965. Harry Harris/Associated Press 'Ali and Liston, having survived that racial trauma, were a lot closer to the French Canadians, who faced a lot of discrimination when they showed up here in such large numbers,' Hewitt said. 'The KKK was intimidating French Canadians who were coming down to work in the factories. When I was a young man, the narrative I learned was the people of Lewiston didn't like the KKK, that they supported the American spirit, which was that people came to work, and good luck to them.' St. Dominic's Arena, also known as the Central Maine Youth Center, and now as just the Colisse, held only 4,000, the smallest venue for a championship fight in the modern era. But whatever it lacked in size, it made up for in gritty character. The Ali and his wife Sonji gestured at a press conference after his successful title defense in Lewiston, Me., May 25, 1965. ASSOCIATED PRESS Robert Goulet sang the national anthem, mangling a couple of words. Prior to the opening bell, boxing royalty mingled inside the ring: Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson, James Braddock. The fight was, in the end, anticlimactic. At 1:44 into the first round, Ali landed that phantom right, and Liston went down in a heap. Advertisement Ali stood over the fallen Liston, yelling, 'Get up and fight, sucker!' Liston did get up, but had already been counted out. That image, of Ali standing over Liston, Zenos Frudakis with the molds for the Ali statue. Frudakis Studio, Inc. The statue of Ali created by Frudakis is more subtle than that angry image of Ali, Frudakis was commissioned to make the statue before the 'Lewiston has this inner strength,' Frudakis said. 'They can take a punch. They can get knocked down. But they always get up.' Hewitt believes it's a message that resonates in old mill cities across New England. 'Lewiston represents Fall River, Waterbury, Holyoke, all these towns that have tried to remake themselves,' Hewitt said. 'The thing about Muhammad Ali and these towns, he didn't win every round, but he fought every round. That's like Lewiston.' Another irony not lost on Hewitt and Platz is that Ali might have been the only one named Muhammad in Lewiston that night 60 years ago. Now, two decades after Sub-Saharan Africans became the latest wave of immigrants to re-invent Lewiston, Muhammad is a common name in Lewiston. Advertisement 'What happened to the French?' Hewitt says. 'They're Somalis now. We get up and keep moving forward.' Charlie Hewitt's "Hopeful" sign on the side of Bates Mill No. 5 in 2024 where the Ali statue will be unveiled. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
The Canadians no longer visit down the shore — but why'd they come here in the first place?
Avalon Campground in Cape May Court House was a top destination for Canadians who were regular summer visitors to the Jersey Shore starting in the 1970s. (Beach photo courtesy of the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority) Last week while in Avalon, I stopped at the Cape May County Habitat for Humanity to look for deck furniture. I didn't find any, but while looking through used books and sofa sectionals, I found a mug featuring a maple leaf. 'Eh?' it also read in an equally bold red. A Canadian mug in a South Jersey Shore second-hand store might seem like an oddity, but it's becoming an artifact of another time and a signifier of the once-strong-but-now-fraying relationship between this part of New Jersey and Canada. According to Statistics Canada, Canadian car trips into the United States this March are down almost 32% compared to March of last year. Things don't look better for the summer either. According to a New York Times analysis, summer plane ticket sales from Canada to the U.S. are down 21%. If this winter's dip in Canadian snowbirds flying to Florida (and selling their Florida properties) is any indication, the Jersey Shore, particularly Cape May County, could see a similar drop. But in all the 'will they or won't they' coverage I've seen about the issue this year, I noticed one thing left out: why Canadians — in particular French Canadians — came here in the first place. Like the drive from Quebec to Wildwood, it's a long and sometimes winding journey. In the 1950s and 1960s, South Jersey Shore towns were in trouble. Where they were once the only place people could go to escape stifling summer heat, the advent of air conditioning and swimming pools meant that relief could be found close to home instead — no long train or car ride required. Atlantic City turned to gambling. Cape May County? French Canadians. In 1970, Quebec legislated a two-week holiday for all construction workers for the end of July, a move that rippled out beyond the industry, with many residents of the province also taking that block of time off for summer vacation. Les Quebecois were also, theoretically, one day's drive away, so starting in 1968, the county pitched them on better beaches, warmer water, and cheap accommodations in motels and rooming houses in Wildwood and in campgrounds that lined Route 9 just inland of beach towns like Sea Isle, Avalon, Stone Harbor, and the Wildwoods. In 1970, Cape May County opened a tourism office in downtown Montreal to further bind the regions. In 1973, a tourism official told The New York Times that they spent 75% of its promotional budget to attract Canadians. By the mid-1970s, the Canadians had taken over. Motels in the Wildwoods gave themselves names like Canadian and Quebec Motel, and venues booked Canadian stars like singer, radio, and television host Michel Louvain and Lousie-Marie Houde, a.k.a. Mademoiselle Quebec. In 1977, Atlantic City hosted Quebec Day to thank their Canadian visitors, with a flag raising, cocktail party, concert, and fashion show featuring Quebec-based artists. 'Two weeks after the Fourth of July, cars were backed out all the way to Route 9 to see if we had campsites,' said Lenny Catanoso, 74, who until last year owned Avalon Campground in Cape May Court House with his sister Marlene. Their parents opened the business in 1967, and they were teenagers working there when the influx of Canadians started coming in. For part of July, 'every car in town was Canadian. I haven't seen anything like it,' said Larry Lillo, 77, Wildwood Historical Society secretary and owner of the Holly Beach Train Depot. Lillo has also held a gamut of jobs during his lifetime in Wildwood, including ice cream salesman, lifeguard, and firefighter. 'It wasn't just the mother and father and the kids. It was the grandmother, aunts, and uncles. The whole gang would come down and stay in apartment houses here,' he said. I saw it too, as a kid who spent all of her summers in the 1980s and 1990s in Avalon Campground. While my family's summer place is now in Avalon proper, we were there then for the same reasons as the Canadians: It was more affordable than on-island accommodations and offered more things to do for large family groups that might include parents and kids but also grandparents, cousins, and that guy who isn't really your uncle but that's what you call him. For the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, 75% of the campground's bookings were French Canadians, according to Lenny Cataonoso. You could see it — and hear it. The U.S., New Jersey, and Canadian flags all flew at the campground pools (where, yes, you could usually tell who was Canadian by their penchant for Speedo bathing suits). When it came time for me to pick a language to study in middle and then high school, I picked French, not because I had young girl dreams of Paris, but because I thought it would help me get a summer job down the shore when I was old enough to do so. I never got the chance. By the time I was old enough to work, the Canadian dollar plummeted in value, and the parade of Quebec license plates coming down the shore just about stopped. Marlene Catanoso, 72, remembers her father working the phones, offering regular Canadian visitors half-price tent spots. The Cape May County Montreal office closed in 1995. The relationship hasn't entirely died out, though. Gen X and Millenial Canadians come back so their kids can have the same kind of magical Jersey Shore experience they had when they were younger. Cape May County still has a French language website and Facebook and Instagram accounts, and the county tourism department has a public relations consultant focusing on Quebec and the Toronto region of Ottawa. Before the pandemic, about 8% of Cape May County visitors were from Quebec. Marlene Catanoso said that older Canadian visitors stopped coming to their campground during the first Trump term, but COVID had a much bigger impact. 'For two years, we had a campground that was half empty,' she said. It wasn't just that the Canadian border was closed, but accommodations in the area shifted to attract locals who didn't want to travel either. To cope, Avalon Campground converted sites that once had bare-bones amenities with tent campers in mind and upgraded them with sewer, water, and better power, in order to accommodate RVs, campers, and mobile homes — and charging for it. Diane Weiland of Cape May County's tourism department insisted that other factors, like the value of the Canadian dollar and a stagnant Canadian economy, are playing a bigger role in keeping the Canadians up north this summer than political discontent (though she did note that the Canadian Automobile Association has declined to run their ads; and Canadian news outlets won't be covering U.S. destinations this year). But she believes the region will be OK, as local business owners have said that American travelers have been picking up Canadian cancellations. So, as the unofficial opening of the summer begins, and more restaurants, bakeries, bike shops, and arcades open for the season, we don't know what will happen. But it's hard to see how this more than half-century relationship can repaired, at least during this administration, when the president insists that Canada is going to be the 51st state, pushes punitive tariffs on Canadian goods at who knows what whim, and eggs on the imprisonment of foreign travelers for things like a visa mix up, translation mistake or having tattoo equipment. If I were Canadian, I wouldn't come here. Heck, I'm an American with a beach house and don't know if I want to be here this summer. I guess we'll see, eh? SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
