Unity Rally - Oct 27, 1995

The VIA Rail train arrived late – around 6 pm. The ticket was cheap - $20 for a round trip. Usually, it is around $50, but there was a rally.

Organizers, corporations, and civic leaders called on Canadians to join in Place Du Canada in Montreal for a rally to show Quebecers Canada Cares.' The referendum asking if Quebec should seek a 'new arrangement' with the rest of Canada was only a few weeks away. The rally in Montreal was billed as a way to show the province the rest of Canada cares.

Airlines offered super cheap flights. Bus companies were offering free or near-free trips to the city. For me, the train is always the better way and was almost as competitive as the bus. I went alone but found others along the way.

It was my first time in Montreal, and the first time I fell in love with a place not my own. I met a random girl on the train and followed her around the whole way. She was tall and beautiful – but I forgot her name. She was studying in Toronto and was a photographer. I was a struggling journalism student with an emphasis on struggling. She was bubbly, friendly, and engaging. I found her attractive in both looks and personality. We talked all the way up from Toronto to Montreal, along with a younger guy beside us. He was gay. Looking back now, it was probably the first 'real' or openly gay person I ever met. He was bubbly and fun to be with. The three of us would hang around for the rest of the weekend and beyond. It was fun, and looking back, one of the best trips I've taken. It is probably the biggest reason why I am a big traveller now.

I didn't have a place to sleep and wasn't sure where to go or what to do. I didn't have time to research, and my new friends helped guide me around the city. First, we grabbed food. We walked around the city from the train station. From what I remember, we went to a local deli near St. Urban Street, a bit outside the city center. There was a party going on at someone's house. It was what I imagined Montreal to be: people in an old home lit by candlelight. Music was playing. People were drinking wine, and everyone was chatting. It was one of the girl's friends. She arranged for us to sleep on their floor, which was fine. The people left soon, and we were asleep soon after.

The rally was on Friday, and we got there early. It was cold, and I borrowed her sweater and held on to it for years. It became my travel sweater.

We were up early and had something quick to eat before going to the rally. People were piling into Place Du Canada – an urban area bordered by tall buildings, with various small parks around with statues to Canadians (John A. Macdonald, Queen Victoria, and other Canadian icons).

Everyone wore red and white, in different versions of Canadian. Many were holding signs with 'Non' representing the Canadian side of the referendum. It was a sea of people. People of all ages were there, but most were younger or around my age. I assumed people couldn't take time off work or drop everything and go to Montreal.

The rally began with speeches from the No side's leader, Quebec Liberal Leader Daniel Johnson, and Jean Chrétien, then leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Brian Tobin, the Fisheries Minister, was the rally's main organizer. The rally screened videos from Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and premiers from across the country, including the newly elected Mike Harris of Ontario.

A giant Canadian flag floated above the crowd, making for an excellent photo opportunity. People would duck under it to chant. Spontaneous singing of the national anthem drowned out the speakers several times. There were thousands of people.

With any rally, the numbers are always hard to figure out: what is real and what isn't. Many agree it was the most significant political gathering in Canadian history, with over 150,000 people showing up. Most were drawn by cheap transportation, including Canadian Airlines offering 90% discounts on flights to Montreal.

We were tired and crashed into the crowd. We tried to find a way out, ended up on Rue St Catherine, and walked into the Gay Village. It was my first time knowingly in the gay area. I was nervous, not knowing what to expect, but not worried. We went to Sky, sat down, and had a drink. The boy flirted with a couple of guys at another table. We were decked out in Canadian decorations while they had the 'Oui' sticker on their cigarette. They were flirting with him, and he was happy to flirt back. He went off with them for a few hours. I was jealous of how quickly he could pick up. At the same time, I was feeling awkward and uncomfortable because I couldn't be with a girl I found attractive but couldn't do anything about it.

I sat with the girl and talked. It was good, but looking back, I was so uncomfortable that I probably came across as a prude, which I was at the time. I was unsure about so many things, or unaware of them. I had only one girlfriend then, and I was awkward. We still laughed, and I drank for most of the evening.

The boy came back. We went upstairs to dance and have fun, and I did. We laughed and cried and danced. No one 'touched or bothered me,' but I was still uncomfortable. We went back to her friend's place to sleep around 2 am, or maybe it was later. The boy hooked up with a few others and didn't spend the night with us. Nothing happened between the girl and me, but I learned to love the city and the travel.

We hopped back on the train the next day, feeling tired from the weekend. The referendum was three days later, and the 'No' side, or the vote for Canada, won with 50.58%. I never saw the girl and the guy again, and I wonder if it was for the best.

It is 2020, looking back at some of the pictures and times. I have time and want to write down some of these moments from my past. It helps to put things into perspective. They aren't 100% true, but they're what I remember.