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Ottawa Citizen
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Serge Fiori's national funeral celebrates his life, his music and his dream for Quebec
Article content The national funeral for Serge Fiori Tuesday afternoon at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts was much more than a funeral. It was actually a full-scale tribute concert in honour of the iconic Québécois singer-songwriter and co-founder of the much-loved progressive-rock band Harmonium. Article content But it wasn't just a concert, either. It was a heartfelt homage to the man and the musician from a slew of homegrown stars, almost all of whom had either worked with him or were good friends of his. In the end, this magical, nearly two-hour event was a nostalgic love letter to a time — Harmonium's heyday in the mid-1970s — when Fiori and millions of other Quebecers dreamed of someday creating their own country. Article content Article content Fiori, a Montrealer with Italian roots, never wavered in his support of the independence movement and for fighting for the French language ici, even though his songs never explicitly referenced such matters. He died on June 24, Quebec's Fête nationale, at the age of 73. Article content Many on stage Tuesday underlined his commitment to Quebec, starting with Premier François Legault, who was one of the first speakers. He said he wore out his copy of the first Harmonium album as a teenager in 1974. Article content 'He made us more proud to be Québécois,' said Legault. Article content Article content Former Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume, a friend of Fiori, said the two agreed on everything except hockey. Labeaume was a Quebec Nordiques fan, Fiori a fervent fan of les Canadiens. Article content 'You would never accept us saying 'no,'' said Labeaume, clearly referring to Fiori's position on the two referendum campaigns. 'And that, we're going to remember.' Article content Article content Article content Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon — who, at 48, is much younger than Harmonium's original boomer fans — said before Tuesday's event that Fiori spoke for a generation, and that it was always about much more than music with the singer-songwriter. Article content 'The generation before mine, the people who lived through the golden era of Harmonium, it's almost like a cult,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'So it's the celebration of a genius. But it's also recognizing someone who was the opening act for René Lévesque.' Article content That's a reference to Harmonium's trip with the first Parti Québécois premier to California in 1978 to promote Quebec and the band. Article content 'They went to California to talk about Quebec and independence,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'In one of (Fiori's) last interviews, he said that if we don't deliver this project (of independence), Quebec culture has no future.'
Montreal Gazette
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Serge Fiori's national funeral celebrates his life, his music and his dream for Quebec
Music By The national funeral for Serge Fiori Tuesday afternoon at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts was much more than a funeral. It was actually a full-scale tribute concert in honour of the iconic Québécois singer-songwriter and co-founder of the much-loved progressive-rock band Harmonium. But it wasn't just a concert, either. It was a heartfelt homage to the man and the musician from a slew of homegrown stars, almost all of whom had either worked with him or were good friends of his. In the end, this magical, nearly two-hour event was a nostalgic love letter to a time — Harmonium's heyday in the mid-1970s — when Fiori and millions of other Quebecers dreamed of someday creating their own country. Fiori, a Montrealer with Italian roots, never wavered in his support of the independence movement and for fighting for the French language ici, even though his songs never explicitly referenced such matters. He died on June 24, Quebec's Fête nationale, at the age of 73. Many on stage Tuesday underlined his commitment to Quebec, starting with Premier François Legault, who was one of the first speakers. He said he wore out his copy of the first Harmonium album as a teenager in 1974. 'He made us more proud to be Québécois,' said Legault. Former Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume, a friend of Fiori, said the two agreed on everything except hockey. Labeaume was a Quebec Nordiques fan, Fiori a fervent fan of les Canadiens. 'You would never accept us saying 'no,'' said Labeaume, clearly referring to Fiori's position on the two referendum campaigns. 'And that, we're going to remember.' Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon — who, at 48, is much younger than Harmonium's original boomer fans — said before Tuesday's event that Fiori spoke for a generation, and that it was always about much more than music with the singer-songwriter. 'The generation before mine, the people who lived through the golden era of Harmonium, it's almost like a cult,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'So it's the celebration of a genius. But it's also recognizing someone who was the opening act for René Lévesque.' That's a reference to Harmonium's trip with the first Parti Québécois premier to California in 1978 to promote Quebec and the band. 'They went to California to talk about Quebec and independence,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'In one of (Fiori's) last interviews, he said that if we don't deliver this project (of independence), Quebec culture has no future.' Fiori famously turned down a million-dollar offer from CBS Records for Harmonium to re-record its songs in English, but even though he only ever sang in the language of Charlebois, the band was popular right across Canada, selling out 3,000-seat theatres from coast to coast at the height of its fame in the 1970s. Montreal's CHOM was the first radio station to play Harmonium, oddly enough before any French-language stations here, and turned on a whole generation of anglophones to the band. Former CHOM morning man Terry DiMonte, who was at the funeral, became friends later in life with Fiori. DiMonte wasn't working at CHOM when they started playing Harmonium, but hearing their folky, melodic progressive rock opened his ears to a whole other world of music. 'When I was a kid and was beginning to get into music and first heard Harmonium, I thought: 'Wow, there's bands of the calibre of the bands I'm listening to from Britain and the United States right here in our backyard,'' said DiMonte. 'That in turn introduced me to, 'Oh, wait a minute, there's a whole Quebec culture, television, radio, actors, musicians… .' And I think for my generation, he was at the forefront of that and had a massive impact not just in Quebec, but across the country. It was his personality, his passion and his ability to write music that spoke to people. 'At a time when progressive rock was at its peak in Quebec with Supertramp; Yes; Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Genesis, he stuck his hand up and said: 'Hey, wait a minute, I can do this, too, from a Quebec point of view.' The songs are very powerful and the melodies are McCartney-like. Language wasn't a barrier. People bought into the music because the music's so good.' There was a lot of talk about Fiori's dream of a Quebec nation during Tuesday's funeral/concert, but of course it was also about music and celebrating the life of a man who elicited so much love. The event began with a poetic monologue from actor Luc Picard, then seven acoustic guitarists — including Michel Rivard and Richard Séguin — came on strumming. Then members of Harmonium appeared on stage, minus Michel Normandeau, who is in Paris. They performed a moving rendition of Histoires sans paroles. Séguin sang Ça fait du bien, from the 1978 album Deux cents nuits à l'heure, made by Séguin and Fiori. Radio and TV host Normand Brathwaite talked of how he and Fiori both suffered from serious anxiety, a problem that stopped Fiori from performing for the last 40 years of his life. The finale had author and rapper Sébastien Fréchette, a.k.a. Biz, taking the stage to announce that Fiori's last project was a new version of the Harmonium classic Un musicien parmi tant d'autres, a work in progress with 11 Indigenous artists from Quebec. Then Indigenous singer-songwriter Mathieu McKenzie led everyone on stage in an inspiring rendition of the song, which appeared to end the show. All on stage turned their backs to the audience and looked up at a giant photo of Fiori, and they were startled when suddenly the thousands in the crowd began singing an a cappella version of the Harmonium anthem. It was perfect. It was as if le peuple took possession of Fiori's music.
New Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Trump's threats bring Quebec closer into Canada's fold
LONG known for its deep-rooted independence movement, Quebec has been embracing its identity as part of Canada with rare vigour in the face of the sharp attacks from Donald Trump. The US president's broadsides against America's northern neighbour, and his avowed aim of making it the 51st state, have pushed people all over the country to reconsider what being Canadian means in the 21st century – a rethinking given added impetus by fast-approaching general elections. Against expectations, Quebec – the French-speaking province that loves to set itself apart from Canada's majority – has been among the most fervent adopters of the new patriotic sentiment. "It's crazy, in just a few weeks I've evolved about a lot of things – I feel very Canadian," Carole Potvin said as she sat drinking a coffee in a Montreal neighbourhood that is a stronghold of the pro-independence Bloc Quebecois party. "We felt under threat, and to face up to the American enemy it seems clear to me that we must be united," she added, speaking in French. The language, along with Quebec's distinct culture and political history, has nurtured dreams of independence. The province's most recent referendum on breaking away was held in 1995 – although until recently many hoped a new one could take place soon. For some, the weeks since Trump's inauguration south of the border have changed everything. "I was long in favour of Quebec being independent, but I think it's a waste of time in today's world," said Potvin's partner, Pierre Choiniere. "When you're up against the US, you have to be big and strong," he added. The proportion of Quebecers telling pollsters they were "proud" or "very proud" to be Canadian surged from 45 per cent in December 2024 to 58 per cent just two months later. Those saying they were "very proud" increased even more than the overall figure – although Quebecers' overall "proud" ratio remains the lowest in Canada. Such numbers have unsettled the Bloc Quebecois, which stands candidates for election only in the Francophone province. Until autumn it had been counting on increased support in the April 28 national election, after securing 33 seats in Canada's parliament in 2021. The party "has never faced such strong headwinds," said political veteran Regis Labeaume, mayor of Quebec City from 2007-2021. "It's not easy to position yourself when Canadian solidarity is growing," the pro-independence politician added. "Many people are going to vote tactically, not with their hearts" this time around, he said. Labeaume sees the change as resulting clearly from voters' shock at Trump's threats to Canadian prosperity and sovereignty. "As Quebecers and Canadians we've never seen war, we've never been afraid for our physical integrity, so that explains these threats being a huge shock," Labeaume said. "People are flabbergasted." Other separatists, meanwhile, are trying to see the glass as half-full. "Even when we're facing serious threats, almost one-third of people want Quebec's independence," said Camille Goyette-Gingras, president of separatist federation Oui Quebec. "Our province is different, including economically, from the rest of Canada, and so we'd benefit from being able to defend ourselves," she added. Despite such arguments, the Bloc Quebecois looks set to glean just 25 per cent of the province's vote in the coming elections, according to the latest polls. That could leave the separatists with roughly half the number of seats they won last time around – a mere five to six per cent of the national result.
Japan Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Trump's threats shift Quebec's views on independence ahead of Canada vote
Long known for its deep-rooted independence movement, Quebec has been embracing its identity as part of Canada with rare vigor in the face of the recent sharp attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump's broadsides against America's northern neighbor, and his avowed aim of making it the 51st state, have pushed people all over the country to reconsider what being Canadian means in the 21st century — a rethinking given added impetus by fast-approaching general elections. Contrary to expectations, Quebec — the French-speaking province that loves to set itself apart from Canada's majority — has been among the most fervent adopters of the new patriotic sentiment. "It's crazy, in just a few weeks I've evolved about a lot of things — I feel very Canadian," Carole Potvin said as she sat drinking a coffee in a Montreal neighborhood that is a stronghold of the pro-independence Bloc Quebecois party. "We felt under threat, and to face up to the American enemy it seems clear to me that we must be united," she added, speaking in French. The language, along with Quebec's distinct culture and political history, has nurtured dreams of independence. The province's most recent referendum on breaking away was held in 1995 — although until recently many hoped a new one could take place soon. For some, the weeks since Trump's inauguration south of the border have changed everything. "I was long in favor of Quebec being independent, but I think it's a waste of time in today's world," said Potvin's partner, Pierre Choiniere. "When you're up against the U.S., you have to be big and strong," he added. The proportion of Quebecers telling pollsters they were "proud" or "very proud" to be Canadian surged from 45% in December 2024 to 58% just two months later. Those saying they were "very proud" increased even more than the overall figure — although Quebecers' overall "proud" ratio remains the lowest in Canada. Such numbers have unsettled the Bloc Quebecois, which stands candidates for election only in the Francophone province. Until autumn it had been counting on increased support in the April 28 national election, after securing 33 seats in Canada's parliament in 2021. The party "has never faced such strong headwinds," said political veteran Regis Labeaume, mayor of Quebec City from 2007-21. "It's not easy to position yourself when Canadian solidarity is growing," the pro-independence politician added. "Many people are going to vote tactically, not with their hearts" this time around, he said. Labeaume sees the change as resulting clearly from voters' shock at Trump's threats to Canadian prosperity and sovereignty. "As Quebecers and Canadians we've never seen war, we've never been afraid for our physical integrity, so that explains these threats being a huge shock," Labeaume said. "People are flabbergasted." Other separatists, meanwhile, are trying to see the glass as half-full. "Even when we're facing serious threats, almost one-third of people want Quebec's independence," said Camille Goyette-Gingras, president of separatist federation Oui Quebec. "Our province is different, including economically, from the rest of Canada, and so we'd benefit from being able to defend ourselves," she added. Despite such arguments, the Bloc Quebecois looks set to glean just 25% of the province's vote in the coming elections, according to the latest polls. That could leave the separatists with roughly half the number of seats they won last time around — a mere five to 6% of the national result.
