The MTL Shake x La Cabane event was canceled on Saturday, after several politicians denounced its higher pricing for whites than for blacks, Indigenous people or people of color.
Posted at 5:17 p.m.
“What all Quebecers want, regardless of their skin color, is equal treatment, without discrimination. It’s exactly the opposite of what the organization does,” said Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon on Saturday in a publication on X.
The politician was reacting to an article published earlier in The Press, which reported that MTL Shake x La Cabane, a family dance event scheduled for this Sunday in Montreal, was selling tickets at prices based on skin color.
The price for a white adult was $25.83, compared to $15.18 for a Black, Indigenous or person of color adult. According to human rights lawyer Julius Grey, the initiative is an example of “blatant discrimination.”
MTL Shake x La Cabane announced on Saturday that the next day’s event was canceled. “We have received so much hatred and misunderstanding about our ticket prices that for the safety and security of everyone, we prefer to use precaution,” the organization announced on social networks.
The La Cabane community center, which lends its premises to the event, said it supported the organizer of MTL Shake x La Cabane in her intention to “make this event as accessible as possible,” in a Facebook publication.
“After discussion, the organizer of MTL Shake agreed to implement a price scale consistent with the internal policy of our organization: mobile according to the income of all the families who will participate,” added La Cabane.
Other politicians denounced on Saturday the pricing based on skin color imposed by the event. “This is completely unacceptable. Where does it stop? What a lack of judgment,” commented the Minister of Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe, in a publication on X.
Stéphane Fogaing, co-spokesperson for the Parti Québécois on diversity and citizenship, described the initiative as “unacceptable” on X. “Racialism is a form of racism under pseudo-virtuous guise. Let’s stop importing American concepts that have no place in Quebec society,” he added.
The Shake La Cabane event was to be held late in the afternoon in the Rosemont district. “This event celebrates community, connections, and a move towards a more positive new year,” we can read on the Shake La Cabane web page.
