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As bilingual members of Quebec’s English-speaking community, we want to send an important message to Mount Royal voters ahead of the next federal election.
In our system we elect individuals, not parties, and Anthony Housefather is not just your MP who represents everyone in his constituency, whether French- or English-speaking; he is also an MP who represents all English-speaking Quebecers. Nobody else knows our issues as well or fights for them as hard. It is absolutely vital for the future of our community that he be re-elected, because he is the MP we know we can count on, whether in government or opposition.
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In recent years, the English-speaking community of Quebec has come under attack. Housefather has spoken out loudly and clearly against Bills 21, 40 and 96 and other laws seeking to diminish our voices and political clout. He has fought against health care directives and measures that harm our universities and CEGEPs. Here is one politician who, more than any other today, has steadfastly defended our community and protected our rights. He has contributed mightily to ensure that, despite all the challenges, our community has remained strong and vibrant, an integral part of Quebec society.
As municipal councillor, president of Alliance Quebec, demerger leader, mayor and now MP, Housefather has been a leading voice for our community. His passion for our right to be served in English by governments, our health care system and our school boards has always guided his actions.
As an MP, Housefather consistently fights for bilingualism across the country. For example, he ensured that francophones outside Quebec and English-speaking Quebecers had access to divorce proceedings in both official languages. He has put principles before politics, speaking out against his own party when needed.
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Last year, Housefather even voted against his own government’s official languages modernization bill, which no English-speaking organization in Quebec endorsed and which introduced asymmetrical treatment of language minorities into federal law.
He has been a leading voice against the use of the notwithstanding clause and was a strong voice leading the federal Liberal government to announce that it will challenge the pre-emptive use of the clause at the Supreme Court.
Housefather is not a newcomer on these issues; he has been fighting for our community and linguistic minorities across Canada his entire adult life.
That is why we, the undersigned, have the honour of endorsing him and respectfully request that the residents of Mount Royal do so as well.
If you care, as we all do, about the future of the English-speaking community in Quebec, we urge you to vote to re-elect Housefather.
Beny Masella, mayor, Montreal West
Tim Thomas, mayor, Pointe-Claire
Eleni Bakopanos, former MP, Ahuntsic
Mitchell Brownstein, mayor, Côte-St-Luc
Christina Smith, mayor, Westmount
David Lametti, former MP, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, and attorney general and minister of justice of Canada
Marlene Jennings, former MP, N.D.G. — Lachine
Frank Baylis, former MP, Pierrefonds—Dollard
Clifford Lincoln, former MP, Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis, and MNA for Nelligan and minister of the environment
Joan Fraser, former senator
Mike Cohen, councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Steven Erdelyi, councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Michael Goldwax, councillor, Hampstead
Errol Johnson, councillor, Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Joe Ortona, chair, English-Montreal School Board and Quebec English School Boards Association
Joe Panunto, former city councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Barbara Seal, former city councillor, Hampstead
Lawrence Bergman, former MNA, D’Arcy McGee
Andee Shuster, councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Sonny Moroz, councillor, Snowdon, Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Matt Aronson, councillor, Westmount
Julien Feldman, school commissioner, Westmount–Sud-Ouest–Ville-Marie
Cliff Carrie, former councillor, Town of Mount Royal
Allan J. Levine, former councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Marvin Rotrand, former councillor, Snowdon, Côte-des-Neiges—Notre- Dame-de-Grâce
Dida Berku, councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Mitch Kujavsky, councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Oren Sebag, councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Stephanie Valenzuela, councillor, Darlington, Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Jeff Shamie, councillor, Westmount
James Kromida, vice-chair, English-Montreal School Board
Sidney Margles, former councillor, Town of Mount Royal
Glenn J. Nashen, former councillor, Côte-St-Luc
Abe Gonshor, former councillor, Hampstead
Gail Adelson-Marcovitz
Andrew Caddell
Don Davis
Michael Etinson
Marla Goodwin
Mark Henry
David Lisbona
Melissa Margles
Sharon Nelson
Dorothy Reitman
Harold Staviss
Rob Velan
Stephen Bronfman
Tiffany Callender
Caroline Emblem
Janie Etinson
Mort Grostern
Veronica Johnson
Dan Lamoureux
Minda Mazzone
Nida Quirapas
Jonathan Schneiderman
Aki Tchitacov
Cynthia Waite
Al Abdon
Elaine Brownstein
Geoffrey Chambers
Rena Entus
Jonathan Goodman
Natasha Hall
Paula Kilian
Eric Maldoff
Mark and Bonnie Merson
Gemma Raeburn-Baynes
Andrew Toeman
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