A few days before celebrating her 60th birthday in May, Manon Massé announced that she will pass the torch as female spokesperson for Québec solidaire, while remaining the Member of Parliament for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques. The Press took the opportunity to talk to him about the road traveled… and the future.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Manon Massé, on the terrace with Luc Boulanger
She arrives on her bicycle, a little late. The deputy catches her breath by locking her bike and joins us on the terrace of the Renard bar; not without greeting a few citizens who seem happy to meet her. To say that Manon Massé is loved here, in the heart of the Village, in her Centre-Sud bastion, is an understatement.
If we had to sum up his personality in a single word, we would choose the verb “assume”. Manon Massé assumes her working-class origins, her homosexuality, her look. Speaking of looks, did the member hear the testimony of Hélène Buzetti on ICI Première radio, the day of the announcement of her departure as co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire? “No,” she replies, staring at me with her piercing blue eyes, curious to know more.
On May 16, the political analyst at Noon Info wanted to thank her “for her white hair, her mustache, her corpulence and her authenticity”. According to the journalist, M.me Massé contributed “to loosen the image of women in the public sphere”. By showing a broader female spectrum than “the Barbie model”.
“In 2006, when I decided to stand for election, it was not to open the doors to the marginalized, nuance the deputy. I jumped into the arena because Québec solidaire is the only party that corresponds to my political vision. I couldn’t help but be myself. For 40 years, as a feminist activist, I have been telling women that they are beautiful just the way they are, that what matters is what’s inside…not outside. »
It’s true that I don’t have the conventional profile of a public woman. I have always been on the margins, outside the norm. Young people today tell me I’m queer… I tell them no, me, I am a butch, a real butch. So much the better if I was able to demonstrate that politics belongs to EVERYONE; that women are not obliged to fit into a single model! And I still made three leaders’ debates, viarge!
Manon Massé, MP
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
“It’s true that I don’t have the agreed profile of a public woman…”
A butch, in Massé’s book, she is a fighter, an amazon and a warrior. “I am a peace warrior,” she says. For me, peace is not just the absence of wars, conflicts. Going against the current, having a vision of the world different from the dominant discourse, it also requires fighting. »
“People who live on the streets, because they are unable to find accommodation, young people who destroy themselves and take drugs because of mental health problems; these people are not at all at peace”, illustrates Manon Massé.
The future of the Village…
Impossible not to ask him questions about the decline of the Village, and the security problems for its residents. To the point where traders are considering closing their terraces, rue Sainte-Catherine. “There have been in recent decades, with the obsession of governments to always lower taxes, cuts in public services. This hurt the neighborhood, says the MP. We have invested less in mental health, in the fight against poverty, in front-line services, street workers. »
Then the pandemic arrived. The housing crisis. Vandalism and homelessness have increased. “It’s all connected, according to the politician. What is most lacking is prevention. Both in mental health and in housing. We must redistribute and share wealth for the common good. Not out of charity. If citizens are afraid to walk in the street or eat at a terrace, it affects everyone! »
Cohabitation
Since our meeting in mid-June, the Town has announced a strategic plan for the future of the Village. Montreal police chief Fady Dagher also acknowledged “that more reinforcements and efforts will be needed”. “The question of cohabitation with new residents is essential, believes Manon Massé. In the future, there will be 30,000 new homes. I don’t want the Village to become another Griffintown; especially not ! »
I point out a banner in the street that reads “Inclusive Neighborhood”. A new name to designate the Village. What does the elected representative of the constituency think? “We walk. We open up more horizons. It’s good. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was called the Gay Village. And lesbians felt left out of the neighborhood. Our bars were outside the Village. If young people want to expand the neighborhood to include all diversity, and a new generation is going further down the path of sexual diversity, that’s fine. But it’s still us, the oldest, who paved the way for them. »
Coming from the working class, Manon Massé believes that our society devalues people at the bottom of the social ladder. “As if, to be a better person, you absolutely have to climb to the top of the ladder. Whereas I would like everyone on the scale to be happy in life. No one chooses to be born into a poor or dysfunctional family. That’s why we should all have the same rights. »
We may like it or not, Manon Massé has the gift of speaking truth. With words from the heart.
Summer quiz
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
“In the 80s and 90s, we used to say the Gay Village. And lesbians felt excluded from the neighborhood,” says Manon Massé.
What does your ideal summer look like?
“Being in the middle of the forest. I need to find myself in nature. As soon as I’m on vacation, I go into the woods. »
What book do you want to read this summer?
I have a summer tradition. Before going on vacation, I go to La livrerie, an independent bookstore on rue Ontario, for my literary supplies. I really like to read poetry, Quebec novels, Aboriginal literature. I will probably also read bills (laughs).
The people you would like to meet at the table, dead or alive?
Nelson Mandela, for his wisdom and life experience. And African-American poet Audre Lorde, a radical lesbian feminist who helped me understand intersectional feminism. Then, I would invite Quebec decision-makers to the table: François Legault, the Council of Ministers, the Aboriginal leaders. To discuss how to transform the current Quebec into a better and egalitarian society. Within which the strengths of each will be valued.
The historical event that you would have liked to experience?
The women-jurors operation of the Quebec Women’s Liberation Front (FLF), in March 1971. In the middle of a trial, seven women jumped into the jury box of a courtroom to denounce the discriminatory law that prevented women from serving as jurors.
An activity that inspires you in summer?
Hiking, on foot or by bike.
Manon Massé in five dates
CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Manon Massé defines herself as “a warrior of peace”,
- May 22, 1963: Born in Windsor, in the Eastern Townships, into a working-class, Catholic family
- 1995: Is entrusted by Françoise David, then president of the Fédération des femmes du Québec, with the logistics of the Bread and Roses march
- April 7, 2014: Elected Member of Parliament for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques on her fifth attempt
- May 21, 2017: Becomes female spokesperson for Québec solidaire
- May 16, 2023: Announcement that she is passing the torch as co-spokesperson for QS. Her successor will be elected at the next party congress on 26 November. She says she wants to devote more time to her constituency and her loved ones.