In 2019, on the verge of the movement moments in Quebec, some progressive institutions were close enough to what was developing on the ground to understand that this was a time to drop everything and fully devote themselves to the moment of the whirlwind.

For ENGO and union staffers, this looked like formal participation in the coalition that organized the September 27 protest. ENGO staffers whose job it was to be in touch with the movement played a crucial role in this coalition.

Sometimes this looked like lending technical expertise to the organization of the protest. For example, Julie Roy from DSF references being on the committee that was responsible for figuring out the route--no easy task for a protest of that size.

These staffers were also the window into the rest of the organization. “Because I know what’s going on on the ground, I can go see my team and say, in terms of fundraising we need this, or for social media support we need that, or there’s a fight on this topic, can Karel [the Executive director at the time] help unblock this,” Julie Roy from DSF said.

Movement moments...