Democracy in Montreal from 1830 to the present / Citizens of TomorrowDemocracy in Montreal from 1830 to the present / Citizens of Tomorrow

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Citizens of Tomorrow

A memorable day

The Centre d’histoire de Montréal, 2006. Photographer: Denis-Carl Robidoux.

The activity Citizens of Tomorrow aims to offer students a special day by inviting them to visit significant sites in the history of democracy in Montréal. In order to make this day a memorable one for the children, we invite you to prepare your outing by carrying out two activities in class.

Activities to prepare in class

  1. Democracy in Montréal.
    This is an introduction to some concepts associated with democracy.

  2. Special election: five mayors on the campaign trail!
    This second activity lies at the heart of the Citizens of Tomorrow project. An exceptional election is underway: five former mayors are on the campaign trail! The students must prepare posters for the candidates and present them to their fellow students at a press conference.

Sites of municipal democracy

The election process continues during your visit to the Centre d’histoire de Montréal. The students explore the history of the city in depth, in part thanks to the accomplishments of former mayors, illustrated in the museum’s permanent exhibition. At the end of the visit, they will be ready to vote for the candidate of their choice. The visit to City Hall, including the vaults at the Section des archives, the Hall of Honour and the Council Room, climax this overview of Montréal democracy.

Contact with the historic district

Students will also be happy to experience the beauty of Old Montréal, as they walk from the Centre d’histoire de Montréal to City Hall, (about a 20-minute walk). You will have the choice of walking alongside the Old Port or of taking Notre-Dame Street, an itinerary that you can also prepare in class with the students using information we provide for you.

Counting the vote in class

And that is not all: back in the classroom, you must bring the electoral process to a close. The students proceed to count the vote. And the new mayor is …


An activity that meets the objectives of the Québec Education Program

One of the focuses of development in the broad area of learning entitled Citizenship and Community Life is Awareness of the importance of rules of social conduct and democratic institutions. The activity is in the area of the social sciences, which includes history, geography and citizenship education. But it also calls upon other areas, mainly English language arts, but also the visual arts. The various cross-curricular competencies are all brought into play, including intellectual, methodological, personal and social, and communication-related.

Website for the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport: www.mels.gouv.qc.ca
Québec Education Program 


You are interested in the activity but you cannot go on the outing?

If, for whatever reasons, it is impossible for you to come to the Citizens of Tomorrow day in Old Montréal, you will still be able to do the classroom activity. Direct contact with sites relating to history and democracy is definitely essential to reaching the objectives set for the activity. But the classroom activities are also stimulating for the students. They allow you to talk about democracy and the history of the City of Montréal in a context that is both playful and educational. The major adjustment to be made has to do with the vote. Normally, this happens at the Centre d’histoire de Montréal. You will have to prepare this in class. Consult the activity “back in the classroom.” There is a section there where you will be able to print your ballots. Even if you don’t come to the museum, write to us to let us know the results of your vote.


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