One moment, children, mom must save the planet!

The first Sunday of each month, a delegation of members of the Mothers at the Front organization walks on François Legault’s flowerbeds: a sit-ins takes place in front of the Prime Minister’s offices in Montreal.

It was raining and cold last Sunday when I showed up at their gathering. There were a very small handful of mothers and a significant number of…umbrellas.

Yet, despite the dog weather, the mothers seemed genuinely delighted to be there.

“It feels good to be together and to have the impression of acting to help society move forward, out of love for our children,” Nathalie Ainsley explains to me enthusiastically.

“We are happy to be here. The rain ? Never mind. It’s nice to see each other again. It’s great to be able to interact with people with whom we will be able to move forward on certain causes,” adds Hélène Charpentier.

Quickly, I play devil’s advocate. Despite pressure, our governments generally do not act decisively enough on environmental issues. Is the work of Mothers at the front useful?

The answer is unanimous.

” Oh yes ! I am convinced that it makes things happen. Calmly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t be here today,” says Catherine Sacchitelle, who wears a green heart (symbol of the movement) on her tuque and another on her raincoat.

Another mother, Valéria Moro, joins the conversation. “This is in-depth work that we are doing. It is certain that the government must follow at some point. And if the government does not follow, at least the industrial and commercial circles, the business community, must follow. I think the fundamental movement will do that. »

Nathalie Ainsley, who also put a green heart on her hat, emphasizes that being part of Mothers at the Front is also, for her, a remedy for ecoanxiety.

“The media are now talking about the environment and it’s extraordinary. But unfortunately, it’s often bad news, she said. In Mothers at the Front and other organizations, there are so many people who get involved and do extraordinary things: who set up community gardens, who campaign for cycle paths, etc. (…) Getting into the movement allows you to see that. »

Geneviève Tardif is on the same wavelength. His commitment is, in his eyes, both rewarding on an individual level and bringing change.

Let us clarify here that the Mothers at the Front are not content to demonstrate in front of François Legault’s offices on Sundays. They are multiplying various initiatives. The same morning, some mothers were at the Jean-Talon market for an awareness session. They denounced the absence of composting facilities.

They are also announcing a new series of “political and artistic gatherings” on May 11 and 12, which will culminate in a major mobilization activity at Frédéric-Back Park in Montreal on Mother’s Day.

“We know that solutions exist,” says Geneviève Tardif. We try to push them in a positive way. Sometimes it’s a little disturbing, but I think the fact that we’re mothers and grandmothers helps get the message across. »

The interviews follow one another and I realize that these mothers remind me of the turtle in Jean de La Fontaine’s fable. The highlights: very few for them. What characterizes them is determination and perseverance.

They refuse to accept their fate and commit to changing the course of history. Their rebellion takes the form, in a way, of a quiet revolution.

This is a bit what Nolwen Mahé tries to explain to me, at the very end of the event, when she praises the merits of the movement.

“Collective action at the political level is necessary and Mothers at the Front is a good way to get there quietly. Because everyone is of good will, positive, tolerant. I think it’s one of the most beautiful things we can show: tolerant tenacity. Or positive tenacity. »

We are a long way from the philosophy of organizations like Extinction Rebellion, which blocked the Jacques-Cartier Bridge a few years ago. Far from catastrophism, too.

The day after my interviews, I telephoned Hugo Séguin, author of the book Letter to impatient ecologists and to those who find that they exaggerateto get his opinion on Mothers at the Front.

“I see this in a very, very good light in the sense of the social change that many are calling for for climate change and the environment,” he says. Without thinking that it will be the miracle initiative, because that does not exist. Without thinking that it will be a wave that will sweep away everything in its path. »

And added: “It is significant because it targeted something that clearly resonated with people and significant because, unlike many organizations and initiatives, it has endured over time. »

Without knowing it, he was echoing the words of Francis Waddel, one of the fathers at the front (they are welcome within the movement) met last Sunday. This dad spoke as much about the constancy of movement as about his future.

“It’s easy to be negative and tell yourself that everything is bad. But I prefer to see the glass of water half full by telling myself that there are people to meet to, together, make the future of the world a reality. »

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