Nicholas Cowen

By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

For the second year in a row, Montreal will not have a Canada Day parade.

Organizer Nicholas Cowen announced that the parade is off, with just over ten days to go before July 1, “due to ongoing planning disruptions, strained relations with city departments, and unresolved challenges stemming from municipal worker strikes.”

City officials blame Cowen for the cancellation, saying that this is the second year in a row that Cowen allegedly did not submit a project application, even though the city had encouraged him to do so several times.

This seems like a repeat of last year’s cancellation, also announced with less than ten days to go in June of 2024. Cowen complained, at the time, that dealing with the city proved too difficult, even the year before. City officials had the same response last year as they did this week, that Cowen did not put in a request for a permit.

The Montreal Canada Parade is less than 50 years old. The first was organized in 1978 by Dr. Roopnarine Singh, who died in 2022 at the age of 86. Singh, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago was said to have been appalled that there was no formal recognition of Canada’s birthday. Although his parade had humble beginnings, his efforts to get an annual parade running earned him the nickname Mr. Canada.

Cowen cites “disruptions” including “municipal worker strikes.Disruptions have increased over time, particularly after the reopening of large-scale events following the COVID-19 pandemic. These interruptions have only grown more unpredictable and difficult to navigate. While the Mayor’s Office had previously assured the organizers that these issues would be resolved, no meaningful or lasting solution has been implemented. With its cancellation not only does the city lose a major tourism draw, but Canadian culture itself takes a hit on one of the most important national holidays.”

The parade had also been cancelled in 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, according to what Cowen said that time, insufficient sponsorship. n