Hellenic or not, many people waved Greek, Canadian and Quebec flags proudly
Several thousand people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds – although primarily Greeks – lined the sidewalks of Jean-Talon St. in Parc Extension on the afternoon of Sunday March 29 for the Montreal Hellenic community’s biggest annual celebration – the Greek Independence Day Parade.
It was all the more important this year as 2026 marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of the largest organization representing the greater Montreal Hellenic community.
Two parade marshals
The parade marshals were Montreal mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Deputy Prime Minister of Greece Kostis Hatzidakis. They led the dignitaries westward on Jean Talon St. past Athena Park near the corner of Bloomfield Ave. where they climbed the stairs onto an outdoor stage to review the marchers passing by.
Greek or not, most people brought many flags to the parade in order to pay tribute to the history, heroism and the independence of Greece – the nation that gave birth to modern-day traditions of democracy.
“I’m very happy, very honored to be parade marshal today,” Mayor Martinez Ferrada said told Nouvelles Parc Extension News a few minutes before the start of the parade. “And 120 years shows how well implanted the Hellenic community is in Montreal. So I’m very proud to be here and to share with the community.”
In an exclusive interview, the Greek republic’s deputy prime minister said he was impressed by the turnout and enthusiasm shown by members of the Greek diaspora in Laval and Montreal on the occasion of the HCGM’s birthday as well as the anniversary of the independence of Greece.
A bridge from Canada to Greece
“Greece unites us, and we believe that the Greek Canadian community here is a bridge between Greece and Canada,” said Hatzidakis, adding that Greece and Canada share characteristics and are “like-minded” states, while Canada and Greece “cooperate on things like NATO and we hope this will continue.”
Papineau Liberal MP Marjorie Michel, who is Health Minister in the Carney cabinet, said she was attending the parade long before being elected in April last year. As deputy chief of staff at former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s office in Ottawa, she often attended the parade in Montreal.
“The Greek community was at one time the backbone of Papineau,” she said in an interview with Nouvelles Parc Extension News at the corner of Jean Talon and Hutchison where the parade started.
Michel made a point of bringing along the Canadian and Republic of Greece national flags she used in previous years. “I’m so excited to be here,” she said. “Even though many Greeks now live in Laval, I want to be with my constituents on this important day.”
HCGM’s anniversary continues
In addition to continuing a decades-old tradition with a series of commemorative events marking Greek Independence Day all last weekend, the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal (HCGM) has been celebrating its 120th anniversary with special events throughout the year. In a statement, the HCGM said this year’s parade marked a double celebration.
“On the one hand, the heroic Greek Revolution of 1821 and the timeless values of freedom and democracy, and on the other, the long and proud journey of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, founded in 1906, which continues to uphold and preserve the ideals of Hellenism.”
Additionally, on the occasion of this important anniversary, the federal government arranged that on March 25, the Samuel-De-Champlain Bridge was illuminated in blue and white in honor of Greece’s National Independence Day and in celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal.
