Micheline's Put-in
 
Montreal and good, clean fun?
Montreal is a great place to be during the summer months. It has something for all walks of life. This multicultural city is bursting with festivals and parades, more festivals, sporting events, festivals, a massive amusement park, and (just in case you missed it the first few times), more festivals. I love it!
These fun filled events are costly and are, therefore, sponsored by large corporations. Who are these large companies that make so many events possible? In many cases, they are cigarette and alcohol companies. This is becoming legally unacceptable and Montreal may suffer from it, come Summer 2004, as one of our biggest money-makers, the F1 Grand Prix, has a one in five chance of being taken off the 2004 schedule due to the sudden illegality of sponsorship by tobacco companies.
In 1997, the Tobacco Act was enacted in order to regulate the manufacturing, sale, labelling, and promotion of tobacco products in Canada. The catch-all phrase "promotion" refers to the representation of a product or service in a way that is likely to shape and influence the public's attitudes and beliefs and, as a result, their buying behaviour. Aspects of tobacco promotion addressed in the Act include direct means such as advertisements, sponsorships, and retail marketing, as well as less direct means such as the portrayal of tobacco in Canadian movies and in foreign media.
A few years ago, the du Maurier tennis classic tournament was under scrutiny for the same reason the FI is now. Surely, I am not the only one who noticed the irony of a sporting event being sponsored by a tobacco company! The situation was, however, remedied when Bell Canada took over the funding for the event.
The sponsorship of sporting events by tobacco is one issue. But, what about alcohol companies sponsoring the various cultural events that are held in Montreal, namely la Fête Mondiale SAQ (our annual fireworks competition, sponsored by the Société des Alcools du Quebec) and the Labatt's Blue Jazz Festival. Is this something else we should be concerned about?
I've been living in this city for 18 years and one blatant observation that I have made is that Montreal is very tolerant of public drinking (and of smoking illegal substances). Up until a year ago, when I started contemplating the potentially dangerous implications of alcohol promotion, I thought this was great. I would often associate it with the "joie de vivre" mentality associated predominantly with the French culture, and shared also with the Italian, Greek, and Irish cultures.
For example, our St. Patrick's Day Parade is one big booze-fest. I heard a story about a man who was asked to drive one of the floats. He accepted despite his secret: that he was wanted by the police. During the parade, people were drinking and having a great time. As with most public displays, there were wall-to-wall police. The man remarked that he had never felt so fearless about drinking and driving while being on the "wanted list." He knew that if he followed the norm, he would never be noticed. "Only in Quebec!" he stated. "Only in Québec," indeed.
There is something to be said about Montreal and Québec and their tolerance in comparison with the rest of the country. It dawned on me that it has to do with the "bon vivant" (good living) French Canadian attitude. I even heard somewhere that French Canadians were polled and deemed happier than most cultures. I have difficulty believing this, given the overall "dysfunctional" aura that is projected by this city: one does not walk across the street, one runs; one does not salute a fellow driver, one gives the finger. Nevertheless, as harsh as many Quebecers can be, they can be equally warm and fun. Though I personally believe the fun-natured aspect of the typical French/Irish/Italian and other Latin-based cultures to be innate, I can't help but wonder if it's not in part "enhanced" by the amount of alcohol that is consumed in this city and/or province, not to mention the encouragement from the large alcohol companies that sponsor cultural events. Are there no other corporations that can sponsor such activities? Surely there are companies that can add to such events without having to send the message that the event will be less pleasurable without their product. What about the Sealtest Jazz Festival, or la Fête Mondiale IBM?
I'm tired of the fun = booze slogan… it's not only inherently false, but also potentially deadly…almost as deadly (in some cases more so) as tobacco.
© Micheline's Put-In
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