Organized by the National Bangladeshi-Canadian Council in collaboration with the citizens and local organizations of Parc-Extension, over 1,000 attendees arrived at the location at evening and received items with the effigy of Canada 150 such as pins, flags, magazines about the Canadian history, and much more. Ms. Mary Deros, City councillor of Parc-Extension, was among the citizens of Parc-Extension that attended the event. The sides of Place de la Gare Jean-Talon’s field was covered with stalls from local groups such as the Historical Society of Parc-Extension (SHPEHS) and citizens selling homemade light snacks and refreshments to the attendees. Corps et Âme en movement, a music and dancing school from Longueuil, held a stall about their performances as well.

The event was hosted by Samiha Hossain, member of the National Bangladeshi-Canadian Council. The beginning of the performances debuted with a warm up performance by Paul and Ron, a father and son duo on guitar and clarinet. It was followed by a group performance by Shargam Music Academy, led by Doren Molly Gomez and Ranjit Mazumder. Sinha Danse, led by the choreographer Roger Sinha, presented MoW! (Montré(olly)Wood) which is an original creation inspired by the popular success of the flashmob trend with a mix of Bollywood and western dance. Corps et Âme en movement performed Bollywood, Gypsy, and Belly dances and the Troupe Folklorique Grecque Syrtaki performed traditional Hellenic dance from Greece.

After a short break, the host organization was honored to receive a message from the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada and Member of Parliament for Papineau, to congratulate the organization’s efforts to the local community and to highlight this event. Ms. Laurence Duran, Member’s Assistant of the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau, went on stage to read the message to the attendees and presented it to Mr. Monir Hossain, President of the National Bangladeshi-Canadian Council.

The performances continued with songs performed by Rik Bhattacharja and Monisha, his student. It was followed with a speech by Ms. Mary McCutcheon, President of the Historical Society of Parc-Extension, and additional performances such as tabla playing by Bhupinder Singh and traditional Indian dance by Priti and Sriti. The event concluded with a lengthy performance by Tapan Chowdhury, a renowned singer from South Asia, accompanied by local musicians Liton DeCosta, Pabel Ahsan, and Shobon DeCosta.

This could have not possible without the help of sponsors and most importantly the help of the community. Special thanks go to the Government of Canada, Heritage of Canada, Loisirs du Parc, Provigo, Pharmacie Dimitra Alevetsovitis and Wissam el-Chayeb inc, History of Parc-Extension, Parc-Ex Nourricier, Parc-Extension News, PEYO, and Autour du Monde. Heartwarming thanks to the participants Sinha Danse, Corps et Âme en movement, Troupe Folkorique Grecque Syrtaki, Shargam Music Academy, and Tapan Chowdhury as well as the musicians who contributed to the event. Thank you to Nelson Ossé, director of Loisirs du Parc. Thank you to the office of the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau for his special message for this event. The National Bangladeshi-Canadian Council would like to thank its volunteers and its administration.

Rendez-Vous au Canada 150 Fair & Festival – 2017 at Parc-Extension was a memorable and successful event for the new and current citizens of Canada as well as for the guests, the organisations, the volunteers and the local community of Parc-Extension. Future events similar to this event will be held in Parc-Extension in the near future.