Station name links the past and future

From the outset, I’ve been enthusiastic about the REM project linking the South Shore to Trudeau airport and beyond. Having experienced over several summers the Vancouver Skytrain, I see it as a visionary initiative for Greater Montreal.

I feel a personal affinity with the name choice of Griffintown-bernard-landry for one of the 26 stations. It is a link between our proud history and our potential for the future.

My maternal grandfather was born and raised in Griffintown. He would recall with pride his Irish Catholic roots and how the Irish community contributed to building a modern Montreal. The Irish have been an integral part of our diversity as a community and, as my mother often reminded me, we should celebrate this.

Bernard Landry worked to establish the Cité du Multimedia, which is linked directly to the station. The Cité represents the economy of the future and the potential of Montreal to become a leader in innovation. Landry wanted to establish this leadership in the new economy. He remained sensitive to the bond between the achievements of the past and the possibilities of what can be.

On a personal level, I am pleased Landry will be remembered in a location at the heart of Montreal. I first met him in the mid-1980s. Though he was with the Parti Québécois and I was with the Quebec Liberals, we connected immediately.

Our relationship was based on mutual respect and the desire to discuss ways to build a better future. He was a visionary, open to diversity (he was fluent in Spanish and proud of his acquired trilingualism) and confident about our talent to be innovative and successful beyond our borders. We continued our relationship in the latter years. Above all, I can say he was a friend.

On an important policy issue that he judged vital for Quebec, he became a strong proponent of free trade at a time when there was a partisan divide on the issue. He ultimately supported premier Robert Bourassa (I was his chief of staff ) with regard to the Canada-u.s. Free Trade Agreement.

I must admit that living near this station, I will feel some emotions while riding the REM. Many thanks to Mayor Valérie Plante for the station name, and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec for its vision and initiative.

John Parisella, Montreal